Zidane: "I'm pleased with today's game and more optimistic about Tuesday"

NEWS | 09/04/2016 | Javier García

“Now we have to rest up, prepare well for the game and play at our best against Wolfsburg”, added the coach.

Satisfied with the performance against Éibar, Zidane analysed the victory in the press room at the Santiago Bernabéu, and the influence it will have going into Tuesday's big clash: “I'm more optimistic today, winning like this with the first half performance… perhaps a bit less so the second, but I go away pleased with the game, so I'm more optimistic. We know what we have to do on Tuesday and what we're playing for. We're going to prepare well, rest up and play at our best on Tuesday”.

“As a coach I live these days before the knock-out tie with more tension than as a player. As I said yesterday, we know it will be an exciting game, great to play in. We know it will be difficult because we have to come from 2 goals down. When things get tough, we can do great things at the Bernabéu”.

The fans
“I don't want to rile the fans. We want them to come out as they did today, to support the team from beginning to end. They know what Tuesday's game is all about, I don't have anything more to tell them. I think they'll be with the team from beginning to end. We're going to try and make the fans really proud of us on Tuesday”.

Rotations
“I don't think much has changed with respect to the last game. Players who were playing less have featured and others have rested, but we are a group and it's difficult to choose the starting eleven. It's fantastic to be able to call on all these players, I'm very pleased with how things have gone today”.

WE KNOW WE CAN DO GREAT THINGS AT THE BERNABÉU.

“Cristiano should have come off with 15 or 20 minutes remaining, but in the end Jesé got injured and we didn’t make that change. Cristiano moved slightly further forward and that was it. But he can play more than 90 minutes”.

The key for Tuesday
“We know that we have a lot to do. We are two goals down and it will be complicated. We know we are capable of doing it, of achieving big things. The key to Tuesday starts with resting tonight and then starting preparations for the game. We will think about our strategy from Monday onwards. We will have to go out fully charged and play a great game at home”.

Danilo
"All of the players here have been criticised. Little by little things are improving for Danilo. Obviously it hurts when it happens to you. He is a professional; he knows what he has to do. He has come in well, he is a good person and we care for him. Now we have to think about Tuesday and forget small things like this. He nearly scored at the end and I would have liked that. You’ll see on Tuesday
what team I field, I’m not going to speak about this now”.

James and Isco
"They played a very good game. Playing less than others is difficult. They did very well. At the end we reduced the intensity slightly but that’s normal. I’m very happy with all of the players”.