Zidane: I’m thrilled for my players
Karim banzema’s only goal of the match earns three points against crucial derby against Atletico Madrid.
Zinedine Zidane made two big changes before the second half and it paid him with good result.
Here is the complete post match interview from Manager:
“I wasn’t happy with what I was seeing on the pitch, but that’s not the players’ responsibility, it’s mine. I didn’t like how it was going and ultimately I brought off Isco and Kroos, but it could have been any two.
We had to change something. We did it at half-time, and we started to open the pitch up more, press high, we were better all round. I take responsibility for the first half”.
“We’re all here to do the same thing. The changes altered the game but I don’t like to take off two players at the break. But I had to do something, we did it and that’s that. In the second half, we changed our attitude, upped the intensity in everything we did, it’s down to everyone.
I’m thrilled for the players. Atlético played very well in the first half, and we did so in the second. It’s well deserved, the win and three points”.
“We know the derby is always special and very tough. We struggled, but that’s to be expected against a side that defends very well in every respect.
They’re very comfortable defensively, but they’re more than that, they played some great stuff in the first half, but ultimately we’ve taken another three points. We’re happy with the three points, but they’re worth no more than in any other game”.
“Defending is down to all of us, when we lose the ball we work quickly to get it back. People come to see their team playing well, fighting, but in the first half we didn’t do that well enough in my book.
In the second half our attitude changed. I know we cannot always play brilliantly, today was tough but the way people talk about the team after the game is down to the way we play. We got our reward today against a top rival who play well”.
“We did well against Valencia in the semi-final of the Super Cup playing that way, and the final was the same.
Today things did not work quite as well and that is down to me. Physically it was tough for us to get into the game, we did not do well on the ball and if things don’t work well, we need to change that.
I do not like to point fingers and I won’t do that to Isco and Kroos, who are top players. The second half was good and I’m thrilled for my players.”
