Last Day in Irding

WARNING! This post is 90% pictures as I have nothing to write about these days.

It seems remarkable, but Real is finishing up its final day of training in Irding Austria. They will fly out to London tomorrow, where they will do a little bit of training before the Emirates Cup on Saturday, 2pm eastern time against Hamburg. Day 11 of training involved some gym work followed by ball circulation exercises, shots on goal and some attack and defense specific scenarios. The EURO 08 Champs +1 continued their respective recovery plans, and probably wont see action in the Emirates Cup, as they need more fitness. Training Pics!

See the song is called “Ebony and Ivory”

There was also some time for two of everyones favorite youth products to sit down and get interviewed. And Mamadou, the most under rated player on the team. Here they are.

Ruben de la Red Press Conference

Rubén de la Red was one of the pearls in the youth system for years until he joined Getafe last season. He became an important player on the team and made the Spanish national squad, winning the Euro 2008 this summer. The player is now back at Real Madrid, ready to prove his worth.

How do you feel now that you’re back?
I feel great and I’m doing some recovery work. I sometimes join the squad, but I mainly do individual exercises.

You’ve been with the team three days. Do you know what Schuster expects from you?
Not yet. I’ll have time to know in the next few days or when we return to Madrid.

Do you feel like a new signing?
I do because I played on another team last year and Real Madrid had to buy me back because I wasn’t on loan.

You know how hard it is to make it big at Real Madrid. You recently won the Euro 2008 and had a great season with Getafe… Do you feel this is your last chance to make it here?Maybe. I’m ready to prove my worth. Us youth system players are always asked to play for other teams in order to gain experience and I played much last season. I think I’ve covered what the Club expected from me and I hope to do what I did at Getafe now that I’m back.

Schuster wants you to be in midfield, but he tried you out as a centre back today… Where do you prefer to play?
I prefer to be an attacking midfielder, but I also feel comfortable as a centre midfielder.

What about playing as a centre back?
I’ll try to do my best if that’s where he wants me to play.

Isn’t it a bit strange for you to be in a dressing room with many players who haven’t won the Euro?
It is in a way. It’s strange to look at Guti’s or Raúl’s amazing careers and realize they haven’t been able to achieve what I did in a single year. That’s how football goes. I just happened to be on the winning team.

Ramón Calderón said the current squad is enough for the team to be successful. What do you think?
I’m quite relaxed. I don’t see myself out of the team anytime soon. The fact that no signings have been made means the current squad is good and that the Club has faith in it. It’s good not to make many changes that have to be adapted to the team.

You look more serious.
I’m not, but life takes many turns. I’m slightly older now and see things differently. I only think about working hard and earning a spot on the team.

Has your entry on the team been different this time around?
People look at you differently when you get promoted from the second team. I’ve now returned having played 50 First Division games and won a European Championship with Spain. Things are different now. You have to earn a spot on the team and think differently.

Javi García said players treat him differently now.
That’s normal because they’ve seen what we can do. They didn’t know two years ago.

Do you think the signing of Van der Vaart could be detrimental to you?
I’m not worried about it. He must be a great player if the Club thinks he must be signed. We welcome him.

Do you think the team should be strenghtened in order to be strong in La Liga, the Champions League and the King’s Cup?
I think the current squad, with myself, Javi and maybe some other new player, is very strong and can face the three championships.

Javi Garcia to RealMadrid.com

Javi García arrived at Real Madrid when he was 14 years old. He gradually became an important youth system player and left for Pamplona last season in order to gain more experience. He is now back, hoping to become an important player for the coach.

Welcome home Javi. You’ve returned after one season in Pamplona…

I am very happy. I wanted to play as much as I could in order to be repurchased by the Club.

What did you learn there? What’s made you a better player?

Continuity helps. I had the chance to play in some games when I was here last time, but a player needs to enjoy some continuity and know that the coach counts on him even when a game doesn’t turn out well. I stay put in my position, as opposed to run around as much as I did when I first started playing at 17 years of age. I’ve learned to stay put and use my head.

Real Madrid seem to have faith in you. Do you think you’ll be able to play several minutes?
I wouldn’t have come back if I didn’t think so. I feel ready to play on this team and to have some continuity. I’m here to make decisions hard for the coach.

You’ve so far been paired with Heinze as a centre back. Not bad…

That’s what the pre-season is for. I enjoyed my first 90 minutes of playing time after a month and a half-long holiday. It’s always good to play next to players like him. I am learning much from Gabi Heinze. He is a very experienced footballer and I hope to learn more from him.

But being a centre back isn’t your natural position… Where do you feel more comfortable?

I’ve mostly played as a centre midfielder, but I was positioned as centre back several times at Osasuna. I’ve adapted well to that position and feel very comfortable. I wouldn’t mind where to play if you gave me a choice. I still have much to learn as a centre back, but I don’t care.

What do you look for in more experienced players?

Diarra plays in my position and he had a good season last year. I like to look at what he does and learn from him. All the centre backs on the team -Fabio, Gabi, Pepe and Metzelder- are fantastic and I think I could learn something from all of them.

Have you spoken with the coach yet?

Not yet. We’re here to work now. You don’t need words when you work hard, run and play well. You have to prove yourself on the pitch.

What are your personal goals for the season?

It’s too soon for me to know. I especially want to have a good pre-season and get fit enough to withstand the entire campaign. I want to train hard in order to be an important player for the coach every weekend.

Diarra to Marca

Real Madrid midfielder Mahamadou Diarra sat down with Spanish newspaper Marca to talk about his future as well as that of his team heading into the new season.

Will we see the same Diarra from Olympique Lyonnais this season?
I think so. I am ready and looking forward to proving that I am capable. I will start off in the same form that I was in towards the end of last season. My goal is to finish that way, too.

You seem as confident as ever.
Yes. I trust myself and feel that more trust has been placed in me. It’s time to break out, but it all depends on me.

Schuster and Manolo Ruiz haven’t stopped giving you orders.
And that only gives me more confidence. They want to correct my errors and they ask a lot from me. It makes me more anxious to play.

Do you have a future as a centre-back?
I am a centre midfielder, but I know I cannot play in the same position in 60 matches. I have to be prepared for anything, and although there are many injured centre backs right now, I think it’s just a phase.

What has Schuster asked of you for this season?
We are here to correct any mistakes from last year and to improve what we did well. If we do that, we will be even stronger and capable of doing great things.

Do you have to play more consistent football in the Champions League?
We learned a lot last year. Roma really taught us that football isn’t just about attacking. They tightened in defense and attacked at just the right moment. The coach has told us that we have to know how to read matches and to see how the opponent is breathing. We’re not the only ones who have to set the tempo; we have to let the rival do so as well.

What was your pilgrimage to Mecca like?
As a devout Muslim it was very important to me. Everything about it was eternal, extraordinary. It gave me goosebumps. I was also in Medina, at the tomb of the Prophet, and in Jeddah. A Muslim has to make the pilgrimage at least once in their lifetime, so I decided to do it now.

Do you think Cristiano will end up in Madrid?
I don’t want to speak about Cristiano. I only want to discuss the people who are here or myself.

What about Robinho then?
He’s not going anywhere.

And Diarra?
We never know where our destiny lies, so we have to always live for the day and give our best. We are all important, but we have to stand up for the team when given the opportunity.

Are you a winner?
Winning is what counts. It’s all I have in my head. Winning keeps me up, and I am a player who fights to win. I think we are all prepared.

Javi Garcia and Ruben seem pretty confident that they will get a good amount of games this year. I think so too, as Gago is at the Olympics, Guti is inconsistent and theres always injuries. I expect Guti, Sneijder and Diarra to be the starting midfield for the Super Cup, but it could so easily be Javi Garcia, Ruben and Gago (Orrr Granero Boo!). And we may even have Van der Vaart as an alternative to Guti. The midfield looks very good, and I am confident Schuster will end up rotating players far more frequently then last year, when we suffered from burnout around February.

With the midfield permutations we have, plus the possibility, although slim, of having Dani Parejo around as well, I think its fair to say its about time for a formation discussion. But I am hesitant because I do think Real will sign Rafeal, so until then it will wait. I also saw that Real Castilla beat Real Avilla yesterday 1-0, with a goal from Javier Hernandez. So I will have to do a post on Real Madrid Castilla soon too. Just letting you know whats in the pipeline. I leave you with these pictures of the fabulously fashionable Ramon Calderon in Irding last night. Enjoy!

Category: Team News

Tags: Team News

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