NEWS | 05/11/2017
"I'm pleased because we scored three goals and kept a clean sheet", declared the Whites' coach."There are a lot of players who will now go away and join up with their national teams and there's nothing we can do to change that. We have to focus on our next game and my assessment is that we've not made a bad start to the season. The last two games were a real setback, but we know that we can improve and we'll do just that".
Praise for the youngsters
"It's important that they get to play and that people see that they deserve to be here. Jesús did very well in what was his second appearance and whenever he plays, Asensio always delivers. Ceballos was unlucky because he took a big knock and would have struggled to play. Ultimately I'm pleased with how they all performed".
Nacho and Casemiro a booking away from a suspension
"I'm positive and wasn't thinking about a fifth yellow card for either of them. That's why I brought Casemiro off at the end of the game. Ultimately thinking positively worked out well and what's more, Casemiro also got his name on the scoresheet. It's better when he's out on the pitch".
We're all convinced that Cristiano Ronaldo will be the difference-maker.
"Cristiano provided the assist for our third goal and he's really happy with the pass he played to Isco. It was a really fine counter-attacking goal. We know that Cristiano likes scoring goals and that he's happier when he does so. We're all convinced that he will be the difference-maker and that's proving to be the case in the Champions League. He's an asset to the team".
Bale's recovery
"We want him to play. He's doing fine. He's just a little way off and that's why he didn't play tonight. We've now got 15 days ahead of us and we'll see how we manage them. My plan is for him to be ready to feature against Atlético".
The derby
"Every game is different. Tonight we won an important match and we've now got time to prepare for our next game. I don't know what shape we'll be in when that game comes around and how we'll perform. We're going to be able to work with all of the players who stay behind and that's important. After playing every three days, we need to recover and the players who stay here will get chance to really recover well".
Benzema
"What we want to do is to keep on working and continue to go about things in the right way. The important thing is to work hard and create chances. I'm sure that he'll soon get his name on the scoresheet. We have to be relaxed about that".
Achraf's omission from the matchday squad
"I wanted him to rest after having been involved in four or five games in a row. He's just 19 and that's all there is to it".
Varane
"He'll join up with the French team and we'll see how he gets on there".