Zidane: “Nobody is going to get off the boat”

Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane spoke ahead of Wednesday’s Copa del Rey clash against Numancia, where Los Blancos currently have a 3-0 lead on aggregate. Madrid held a team meeting before Tuesday’s training session and while no reports have emerged about what was said during those 50 minutes, Zidane had a clear message for the reporters.

“I believe in my squad. They are my values ​​and I will defend them until the end. I believe in what I do and will keep going until the end, until they change me. That’s it. There’re a lot of games to go and I’ll need everyone. A lot of people think that there are some players who’re not up to it and that they shouldn’t play. When a player isn’t playing well, you have to help him and work things out. What interests me the most is unity. I don’t think that when things aren’t going well you should blame other people. We’re all in the same boat and nobody is going to get off of it. It’s everyone’s fault, I’m the first one. We’ve had two spectacular years and it’s important to tell people not to forget about that because although the most important thing is the future, we build on the past and I’ll not throw away what we did,” said Zidane when asked about the team’s struggles.

The French coach also said that he doesn’t want to make any signings, although it’s fairly clear that Real Madrid could use some to improve their current performances.

“I don’t need anyone and that’s that. I don’t want anybody. We have a squad, we started with them and I believe in my players. There are always difficult times during the season, which is what you’re trying to convey, but I don’t think like that. There’s everything to play for and we’ll see what happens at the end of the season, which is when things are analysed,” explained Zidane.

The team’s starters will almost surely get some rest when Numancia visit the Bernabeu, meaning that young players like Ceballos, Asensio or Marcos Llorente should get another chance to prove they deserve more minutes.