Real Madrid Sporting Director Pedja Mijatovic gave his impressions of the first match of 2009 and commented on the performances of recently signed Huntelaar and Lassana Diarra. Although Juande Ramos believes his men worked hard for their victory on Sunday, he also thinks the team has room for improvement. Klass-Jan Huntelaar was very pleased with his first game as a Madridista. Arjen Robben scored his second goal of the season on Sunday and it proved to be the game-winner against Villarreal. Pepe and Fernando Gago commented on their year-opening win against Villarreal, and also pointed out the importance of working as a team and focusing on winning matches.
MIJATOVIC:
We ended 2008 well and knew it was important to start 2009 off with a win. We played well in the first half. We lowered our rhythm in the second, but still had our chances. I am happy for Lass and Huntelaar, both of whom debuted in fine fashion. They are lacking a little pace, but it was a tough match to debut in. They really came through in a big way, but they still need time. They are young, very talented and I am sure they will help us a lot. The best news however is that we have many of our players back. The last three months were full of problems. Having Ruud, Diarra and De la Red out really hurt us.
JUANDE RAMOS:
We could have scored another goal that would have given us more peace of mind. The team got tired in the second half. We had men out there who hadn’t played in quite a while and others coming off injury. The team worked hard but also suffered. We had plenty of chances to score more goals.
Our intention was to play as advances as possible, but in the last two matches our opponent was losing and forced us to move closer to our goal. It does however give us room to work with and seek the second goal.
Our most recent matches have been against direct rivals. We have two wins and one defeat in La Liga and a victory against Zenit in the Champions League. Our results have been good, but we need to continue working and improving. We have several days to train and prepare for forthcoming matches.
I think Lass and Huntelaar performed well. Lass only played an hour but asked to be subbed out because he hasn’t played in a while. Huntelaar put in an acceptable performance in the first half, but he was tired and hadn’t played in a long time either, which is why I tookk him out.
You have to play well to win. We want to win by playing well because it’s the best way to earn the victory. We weren’t able to score in the second half because we played worse than we did in the first half.
HUNTELAAR:
I am very happy to have won the three points. It was a great night. I am not tired. We notched three points in a very important match. It was a great atmosphere. I played better in the first half than the second. I would have liked to score to thank the crowd for their support. I had some great chances. The keeper made a great save but I should have scored. It would have been marvelous. Of course I would like to play in the Champions League, but it’s not up to me. I will respect the coach’s decision no matter what it is.
ROBBEN:
I feel good and I am happy. We won because the team worked hard. It’s a new year and we started off the best way possible. Not conceding any goals is important, but we also have to score. We had plenty of chances and would have felt better having scored more. 1-0 proved to be enought today, but we must improve. We knew we had four tough matches, and after losing to Barcelona and Sevilla, we managed to win the last two. They were against the four best teams in the league, but now we must think about the future and win the remaining matches. We have until late February to work hard, improve and play better. Huntelaar is a good player, but it was hard for him because he was coming off an injury and he started in what was his first match. He was a little unlucky, but he had a great opportunity. I am sure he will score a lot of goals for Real Madrid in the future.
PEPE:
It was an interesting match. We played well in the first half and proved many things. We left too much open space in the second however. We have created many scoring chances since the Valencia match but have scored very little. The team did a great job and fought as a team. I didn’t take any time off at Christmas. I was in La Coruña working with my physiotherapist Carlos Lalín. Things turned out well and it showed against Villarreal. The fact that we have a couple months during which we only play on weekends can help us.
GAGO:
Lass and I were comfortable playing together. The coach told us what he wanted and we understood one another. We had to win. This victory gives us confidence heading into the rest of the month. We played well, but the score could have been higher. Our forwards can score at any moment. This time it was Arjen Robben’s turn, but I’d also like to point out our defence’s strong performance. We have to continue winning and not think about other teams. As long as we win we will continue pouring on the pressure.
January 5, 2009 | Categories: Post-match Comments, Spanish Primera División | Tags: Arjen Robben, Fernando Gago, Juande Ramos, Képler Pepe, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, Pedja Mijatovic, Villareal CF | Leave a comment
La Liga returned to the Santiago Bernabéu and a newly sodded pitch for the first time in 2009. The first match of the new year was a great opportunity for Real Madrid to prove that their win against Valencia was just a sign of things to come. The Whites immediately dominated and Robben scored the game winner on 30’. Huntelaar and Lassana Diarra performed well in their Madridista debuts. Only one point off second place, Real Madrid are still very much in the title chase.
After an early one-on-one between Pepe and former Madridista Diego López (2’), Huntelaar got his first touch on the ball and proved his heart is in the right place. On 9’ Nihat had one of the rare first half chances for Villarreal. Real Madrid put on pressure and from the top of the box Robben sent a shot of the crossbar (11’). Three minutes later Sneijder tried his luck from long range only to see the ball sail wide right of López (14’).
Juande Ramos advanced the defensive line with an offensive game plan in mind. Pepe was absolutely sensational, while in the midfield Lass and Gago put forth a noteworthy performance in recovering loose balls. Robben was held in check by Villarreal until the Dutchman dribbled between three defenders and curled a left footer into the top right corner of the opponent’s net (31’).
Villarreal tried to answer back, and Pires nearly knocked in the equaliser one minute later but was denied by Casillas (32’). Nihat got a foot on the ensuing corner only to send the ball straight into Iker’s gloves. With halftime six minutes away, Huntelaar managed to control a Ramos cross with his chest, but as he tried to place the ball to fire it home, Diego López closed the only angle on goal to thwart the Dutch striker (39’). Raúl, wasn’t able to find the back of the net either after grabbing the deflection.
Pellegrini replaced Nihat with Joseba Llorente while Juande Ramos brought Drenthe off the bench for Huntelaar. Llorente needed just eight minutes to test Casillas, who somehow got a hand on the forward’s shot (53’). Real Madrid answered every turnover of possession with a counterattack. Sneijder had two excellent opportunities to put the game away but was stymied by Diego López. Ibagaza was subbed in for the Yellow Submarine, and one minute after taking the pitch provided Rossi with an assist, but the Italian could only watch in dismay as Casillas responded with another magical save (70’).
Van der Vaart stepped in for Lass, who received a heavy round of applause from the Bernabéu (77’). While both sides had plenty more chances to score, it was the goalkeepers who stole the show. Diego López prevented Van der Vaart from clinching on 84’, Cazorla was unable to beat Casillas two minutes later and Drenthe was unlucky from mid-range. Real Madrid escaped with a close win and couldn’t have started the new year off in better fashion. Mallorca are up next.
Lineups:
Real Madrid: Casillas, Sergio Ramos, Cannavaro, Pepe, Heinze, Gago, Lass (Van der Vaart 78′), Robben (Metzelder 90′), Sneijder, Raúl, Huntelaar (Drenthe 56′);
Villarreal: Diego López, Ángel, Gonzalo, Godín, Capdevila, Senna (Ibagaza 70′), Eguren, Cazorla, Pires (Cani 79′), Rossi, Nihat (Llorente 45′);
Goal:
1-0, 32′ – Robben;
Highlights: Matchday 17 of the Spanish league
Played at: The Santiago Bernabéu.
January 5, 2009 | Categories: Match Reports, Spanish Primera División | Tags: Arjen Robben, Estadio Santiago Bernabéu, Villareal CF | Leave a comment
Just another Madridista
Hala Madrid 
Post-match comments
Real Madrid Sporting Director Pedja Mijatovic gave his impressions of the first match of 2009 and commented on the performances of recently signed Huntelaar and Lassana Diarra. Although Juande Ramos believes his men worked hard for their victory on Sunday, he also thinks the team has room for improvement. Klass-Jan Huntelaar was very pleased with his first game as a Madridista. Arjen Robben scored his second goal of the season on Sunday and it proved to be the game-winner against Villarreal. Pepe and Fernando Gago commented on their year-opening win against Villarreal, and also pointed out the importance of working as a team and focusing on winning matches.
MIJATOVIC:
JUANDE RAMOS:
HUNTELAAR:
ROBBEN:
PEPE:
GAGO:
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January 5, 2009 | Categories: Post-match Comments, Spanish Primera División | Tags: Arjen Robben, Fernando Gago, Juande Ramos, Képler Pepe, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, Pedja Mijatovic, Villareal CF | Leave a comment