Zinedine Zidane says Real Madrid’s defeat to Atletico de Madrid is a tough one to take but the team must keep working and get back to winning ways.
Antoine Griezmann scored the only goal of the game as Los Rojiblancos became the first ever team to win at the Santiago Bernabeu on three consecutive league visits. The loss also means Real’s hopes of catching Barcelona in the league are all but over – should the Catalans beat Sevilla they will move 12 points clear of Los Blancos.
Real have taken just one point from their last two games having drawn with Malaga last week. But boss Zidane told his press conference after the game that the players must keep working, especially as they are still in with a shout in the Champions League.
“We have things to do this year. We have the Champions league and La Liga games. We have to keep up our work. This is a difficult time. It is necessary to be professional and think about the next game. Madrid will never give in, neither me nor the players. They can criticise us, but I am going to look for a solution and to do that we need to win on Wednesday,” he commented.
And he continued: “Before the Champions league we have a game on Wednesday and we have to prepare for that game in order to play at our top level and win. Our duties and aims are for the next game. Today is a tough blow. Losing at home against Atlético is difficult.”
Asked why Madrid were suffering such an alarming slump this season, Zidane said: “I don’t know if it is a result of attitude. Probably the football. I am not happy with the game and I cannot be happy with the defeat, with what happened and the game we had. The important thing for me and for the team is to think about the next game. Before you ask me if La Liga is over, it is always difficult and I will say what I said yesterday: if you lose more points it is more difficult. We’re not going to throw away the season because we have challenges.”
