Real Madrid C.F.

Bernd Schuster Press Conference

Do you think you need a magical night in the Bernabéu, or will Real Madrid's football be enough to win?
I just know that tomorrow there will be a Champions League atmosphere, which is more than enough. It will be just like when I was a player. We've had a great turnout at home this year, and the crowd knows it. I'm not worried.

Do you just have to go straight for the win and not think about the other results?
We didn't really want to have to deal with this situation. We had two great chances in Greece and would have qualified with a win, and in Germany all we needed was a draw. We didn't get the job done, so we have to take care of business tomorrow. I think it's great that every team has so much at stake. It will make it that much more special. The opponent will have to play very well, but we have a better chance. We can finish first in the group with a win or a draw. We have a lot in our favour, so we have to capitalize.

Does the squad's attitude impress you the most?
This is a very important match. We're going to try to do our thing. The team is upbeat and we all know how important tomorrow is. We all want to move forward in the Champions League, but we have to watch out for the opponent. It's going to be difficult, but we have to remain confident. I know we're capable of winning.

Were you surprised by Lazio's performance in the first match? Do you think they are good enough to win in the Bernabéu?
I was not surprised. They're a young team that is still developing. We've got a good feeling after seeing some of their matches. We're not surprised that they still have a chance, which means they're still right up there. They've won their points at home, where they've been the strongest.

What do you think about Galliani's statement about asking FIFA and UEFA to pay clubs for loaning out players due to the ever-growing number of matches?
I think there's good reason behind it. Many more matches are played now than before. Letting players join their national teams makes us look good and it makes teams proud to see their men called up, but between traveling and games, they miss a lot of time and run the risk of being injured. We're all affected, so a solution should be found.

Ruud van Nistelrooy Press Conference

How are you from a physical standpoint?
Well. I'm going to train like normal and I'm fit to play tomorrow.
What will tomorrow's match be like? Will it be as easy as it looks?
Tomorrow is a special day. How we have played in the past doesn't matter. It's a final. A lot can happen, but we just have to try playing like we usually do. We have to remain focused and put a lot of heart into it. It's a great chance to stay on track at home.

Did Lazio make an impression on you in the first match?
I thought they were a good team. It was a tough match there and they had a lot of chances to win. I remember a part of the first half when they had three or four great opportunities. We know that Lazio is a strong team that plays together. Pandev and Rocchi are two very talented forwards, and the defence is top-notch. We have to play our best tomorrow.

Is it the most important match of the season?
I think so. It's like a final, so I guess it is the most important so far this year. We're well prepared and, like I said before, we'll do our best to play well.

How's your state of mind? Why didn't you celebrate your goal in Bilbao?
It was the emotion of the moment. That's just the way I was after I scored. It was a good goal and I was as excited as ever. I was fine though. The same thing happened to me last year in Bilbao. I don't have any special celebration. It's always the same.

Tomorrow you're up against 43-year old Marco Ballota. How long will you last?
I have a lot of respect for him. I am sure I won't be able play at the same level when I'm 43. Being able to play every week is very special. He's a role model for everyone.

How many years do you hope to play elite football?
A lot more time I hope. I am enjoying every minute of playing so well, playing for this club, and everything else. I'm 31 and I'm going to try to play for as long as I can. I have to keep working hard.

There were quite a few topics of conversation pinging between the hacks shivering in the Bernabeu during the second half of the Lazio game. After all, some kind of stimulus was needed to stay awake and not succumb to the cold during a fairly pointless forty five minutes of football.

Incidentally, the fascist Ultras of Real and the fascist Ultras of Lazio entertained themselves by Nazi saluting each other throughout the match and singing lovely songs about the greatness of Paulo di Canio. Charming.

Instead, the journos pondered topics like, could even Betis beat Lazio? Is it true that there is a player revolt against Koeman at Valencia? And who is behind Marca's never ending attacks on Real Madrid?

The answers were - yes, maybe and Florentino Perez.

That's right. The dark hand of the former Real Madrid big cheese is the man orchestrating the slur fest of recent months. The latest volley in this campaign was the accusation that Rámon Calderón wanted to flog Rául when he took over the Bernabeu throne in the summer of 2006. A throne that became vacant when Perez threw his toys out of his pram and stormed off, let's not forget.

For once, La Liga Loca agrees with the current president on the Rául issue. Calderón apparently questioned his technical team on whether the club were getting good value from their enormously expensive captain - the right question to ask back in the days when Rául was rubbish.

Marca rounded up a lynch mob to attack Calderón - "it's disgraceful that the club wanted to sell him," exclaimed Roberto Carlos and the paper then went on to (incorrectly, it turns out) accuse the president of shouting at Spain's Minister of Sport in a restaurant after an incident involving Marca's editor, a cheap arse award, Paco Gento and a plastic bag.

Entertaining as all this is, jumping into the journalistic bed with Perez shatters what little credibility remained in Spanish sporting journalism. Madrid must be very short of brown envelopes, at the moment.

Vaše mnenje...Heinze ali Marcelo?

Raulito je napisal/a:Ne me jebat... jebotebog Bernd... ni mi jasno zakaj bo reskiral Kinga.Tip bo dobu rumenega in bo cela pisdarija. Dandanes si ne predstavljam El Clasica brez Kinga.

No sé. Todos tienen algo, a todos les falta algo. Diarra tiene más
presencia y despliegue, Baptista es una amenaza de gol, Guti es
muchísimo mejor, aunque discontinuo... También está Gago, que juega
bien pero le falta velocidad físicoa (no mental) y Sneijder, falto de
confianza... Yo tengo dudas.

Me gusta más Negredo que ninguno para ser suplente de Van Nistelrooy.
Me parecen comparables, además. Y Saviola me gusta menos que Soldado
ahora mismo, sólo que está delante. A Soldado le están provocando un
parón muy perjudicial.

Guti me parece un jugador extaordinario, un genio. Pero no transmite
seguridad a sus entrenadores porque él mismo cultiva (ayudado por sus
aduladores) una leyenda de malditismo que, pasados los treinta, empieza
a ser ridícula. Un año más está dando motivos al entrenador para
desconfiar de él. Con Luis no tiene ninguna posibilidad de ir a la
Eurocopa.

Iniesta, el Kun y Van Nistelrooy.

Tengo muy poca fe en Robben. Me parece un jugador de cristal. Ya en el
Chelsea jugí muy poco. Alguien dijo de él: "Es un jugador maravilloso
cuando tiene su día. Lo malo es que sólo tiene un día". Ojalá me
equivoque.

A Gago le achicharran los partidos demasiado rápidos. Schuster se
decpecionó de él en Bremen. Puede mejorar eso con colcación. Es muy
joven. A mí me gusta. realmente. Dairra es lo contrario: enorme
despliegue pero demasiado inseguro con la pelota.

No, no le veo capaz. Me parece un jugador que está bastante bien, pero no para esos niveles.

Creo que tiene esa idea. Heinze es más defensa, Marcelo ataca más.

Pongamos 2-2.

Raúl no va a la Selecicón, eso es bueno para el Madrid.

No estoy seguro. Pero intentaría jugar con Guti.

El Barça tiene mejores jugadores que el Madrid. Los mejores jugadores
sobre el campo serán del Barça. Pero el Madrid tiene entusiasmo, fe,
unión, y en el Barça hay un desconcierto "galáctico" que lastra su
rendimiento.