Article
03 August 2008
Arancha Díaz (London) / Translation by Matthew Goltz
Following Real Madrid's defeat to Arsenal, the primary topic of conversation during Bernd Schuster's press conference was the injury to Wesley Sneijder.
How does Sneijder feel?
Not too well I don't think. We are very worried about his injury. It's really tough. He is in a lot of pain and we predict the worst.
Do you think the match was anything but 'friendly'?
Looking back on the foul, it doesn't look like the referee called it. What can I say? Losing by way of a penalty can be dealt with, but having a player go down as well is a huge blow.
Did you say any thing to Arsene Wenger?
I would like to say that I didn't see it as a violent match. Arsenal are an English team and they play with intensity. Plays like this one can happen. It's the way the game is played here and we just have to accept it.
To what extent can playing two matches in two days take its toll?
This can happen to anyone. The Emirates Cup is a tournament played by elite teams and they all want to perform well and win. That is why we had to be careful and not risk too much, which is the reason why the internationals didn't play. It's a shame because it's a great tournament, similar to last year's in Moscow. The only difference is that this one didn't have any breaks in it.
Are there any updates on Sneijder's condition?
I would rather have the doctors answer that, but it's not good. He will be out for a while.
Does the matter of transfers get even trickier now?
All we are thinking about is getting home and recovering. What happened is a part of football and many great football players have experienced it.
Did you like Javi García's performance at centre-back?
We are still waiting for Pepe and Cannavaro to return, but we will not have a problem covering that position.