Raul: “Madrid is my home and I work and prepare myself to be able to help the club in any way I can”

Raul Gonzalez Blanco’s Real Madrid Castilla team felt hard done by after their 1-1 draw with Linese. The reserve side had a goal by Miguel Guttierrez wrongly disallowed by an offside call. Images and videos after the match showed the fullback was clearly onside, but instead Raul and Castilla had to settle for a draw. After the match, Raul refused to be drawn into controversy — neither with the referee or with doubts around Carlo Ancelotti’s future.

Raul was first broached with a question about the refeferee, “The referees are human beings and sometimes mistakes happen. This time it did not help us, but we are going to focus on our own errors to correct them.”

When asked about Ancelotti’s future, again Raul took the diplomatic approach: “I live in the present. This is my home and I work and prepare myself to be able to help the club in any way that I can. In this moment, the manager of the first team is Carlo Ancelotti, who has done well with a lead in La Liga and in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. We are here to help and push them. Besides, I have a very good relationship with Ancelotti on a daily basis, helping him so that everything goes well, because the important thing here is the club — that is my goal,” Raul explained.

Raul’s passion for the game and his new role within the club is apparent. Each game he can be seen barking orders and frantically looking to get instructions across to his team. The manager explained that passion in the press conference. “As a manager, I am passionate about what I do and what I love. This is what I want to transmit to my players,” Raul said. Many have likened Raul’s energy and intensity on the sideline to Diego Simeone. The “eternal captain” is learning his trade as a manager with Real Madrid Castilla, but is expected to one day take over the Real Madrid first team role.