NEWS | 29/04/2014 | Alberto Navarro (Múnich)
“We practised set-pieces and they worked really well for the first two goals”, revealed the manager."Real Madrid came out on top of this match. I am lucky to coach the most important club in the world and I have to do everything I can to get the best results. Bale and Cristiano put everything into it and they did great. They provided the quality and the result was a perfect match. I would like to thank the players and everyone. After a 12-year absence Madrid is back in a Champions League final and that's good for everyone”.
The importance of the first leg
“It is a victory and nothing more. We beat a strong team, the defending champion of the Champions League. We did very well and we deserved to win. We were concerned about the tie, but the key was the first leg. It was not a big win, but it gave us confidence for the second leg".
"We did not give Bayern any chances to dictate the tempo of the game. I was very happy with the work rate of the strikers. I am lucky to train some top-quality players who also work very hard”.
We are very sad about Xabi's yellow because we will now be missing a very important player in the final. The card was unfair.
“It's the way I work. The club's desire to reach the final after playing in three semi-finals was huge. And also having the chance of winning the Décima was an extra motivation. Florentino Pérez was very happy and congratulated everyone. When he is happy he does not need to speak. Being in the final is the first objective, which is not easy. We've had a fantastic Champions League and we'll see what happens”.
A final in Lisbon awaits Real Madrid
“Football has given me so much and I have the desire and energy to work to take this club, its fans and its players to the top. The objective was very big and I'm proud to have achieved it. When I arrived in Madrid I realised the importance of this competition and I could feel the dream of winning the Décima in the air. That is why we reached the final. We hope to have the same attitude in the final”.
“Balance is the key to football. In the first half of the season we scored a lot of goals, but we let in a lot. We have achieved it through hard work and if you do it with quality players it's much easier to win. 4-4-2 is just for defending. When we have the ball we play differently. We managed to cut out our opponents' play between the lines with the 4-4-2”.
The opponent in the final
“I don't know what's going to happen in the other semi-final. Chelsea has a lot of experience and we are a very strong team. It doesn't matter who the opponent is because we are going to meet a great rival either way. The Xabi thing was bad luck, we are sorry for him, he's a little down. The important thing is that we're going to play in the final and we need to win for him too”.
