Real Madrid

Manuel Pellegrini was happy with his team's performance against Al Ittihad.

Are you happy with the team? What do you think it lacks right now?
I'm happy because these are preseason games and it's normal for both good and bad things to happen at this stage. We naturally have to improve on a lot of things, but this is not the time to do so. We are working on strengthening the squad and on resistance. We won't find it easy to open up a game until we start working on speed and precision.

What was it you liked most and least of the match?
I liked how we recovered the ball on their half of the pitch during the first half. We pressurised well whenever we lost possession. I didn't like the fact that we nearly conceded two goals due to distractions. Our opponents hardly had chances on goal before the draw and they had two dangerous opportunities to win at the end.

You coached Liga Quito in the past. How does it feel to face that team?
I was lucky to coach a good team for two years. It is a good club. I'm glad they're in the Peace Cup and it makes me happy to have the chance of meeting people that have been important in my career once again.

What can Kaka do for the team? Will he play in the next game?
We all know how good and decisive he is. Our internationals won't have chances of playing in the Peace Cup because they will only just begin to train in the next few days. We take this tournament seriously, but we are not going to alter the preparation we're doing. We had two sessions on Friday and we had already decided the substitutions we would make tonight. Our internationals will work intensely for ten days to be ready for their first match in Canada.

Will you make changes in the lineup to win the next game?
We will make changes, but not in order to win. I had already decided which changes I was going to make tonight; I didn't want neither Cristiiano nor Benzema to play more than 60 minutes. Those who played 90 minutes today won't be starters on Tuesday.

Which Al Ittihad player did you like the most?
I liked the whole team in general. Gabriel Calderon coaches them well. I was interested in the number '11' and number '9' players, but I would need to see them more often to determine if they could play in La Liga.

Did Al Ittihad surprise you?
No. We knew they played well and that they would be very motivated to earn a good result.

Do you fear results could affect your planning?
I have never feared anything. I won't change my methods. We are not forced to earn good results at this stage; they are just an anecdote. We won't change our plan just to win a match in July. I'm not worried about any individual performance in particular; we are working on the team as a whole.

What did you think of Granero? Is there special significance in the fact that he was wearing Van der Vaart's number '23' shirt?
It means nothing regarding Van der Vaart because he isn't playing the tournament. I think Granero made good changes to the team's style.