Casillas: "We have an excellent squad. I see a great mix of youth and maturity" When asked about his new coach, Carlo Ancelotti, he said: "I spoke with him before joining up with the team. He made it clear from the outset that he has a winning attitude and the club needs that to win titles. It is not about looking back. We must acknowledge the job Mourinho did, but now we have a new challenge. We are starting full of enthusiasm and with the desire to do good things in this new phase". The Whites’ captain also praised Zidane: "He has a special charisma and everyone associated with Real Madrid hold him in high regard. He is someone who will help us a lot. He will help the team, the boss, the players and especially the younger players. His knowledge will bring the team that touch of experience that we all seek. We are all delighted to have him involved". In reference to his personal situation in the team, he was explicit: "I am not starting the year thinking about either being a starter or a substitute. The only thing that I know is that I have the eagerness and desire to compete. Competition is always healthy. Diego Lopez, who was phenomenal last season, Jesus and Tomas are great goalkeepers, but this isn’t only the case in my position. There are two or three players that can play in whatever position and that is good for the coach and for the team. I am starting the season with the idea of competing, training and being available for the coach whenever he deems it appropriate. We have to start from scratch and I am keener than ever to get back out there, but my teammates will make it difficult for me. I’ll need to work hard and fight for a place in the team, the same as I always have". About the team’s new recruits, he said: "We have an excellent squad. We have renewed the team with young players, who have proven themselves and that is good for the team. Added to the players that were already here, I see a great mix of youth and maturity. We all want to win the Champions League". When asked about Major League Soccer (MLS) and their first opponents in the U.S.A., he said: "The first thing I want to do is to congratulate the U.S.A. team on their recent Gold Cup win. It is a league that is continuing to grow. It isn’t very old, but there are several experienced players who have improved the level. It is moving at a slow, but firm and steady pace. Every year there are more and more supporters and more stadiums. We are playing against Galaxy again. It is a preparatory match to get ready for the season that starts in Spain in three weeks". When asked about Tottenham player, Bale, he said: "He is one of the three or four best players in Europe and it is normal that he is being talked about because he plays very good football". On the other hand, about the recent death of Ecuadorian footballer Christian Benitez in Qatar, he said: "I would like to offer my condolences to his family and losing a teammate is always a tremendous loss. We always do a great variety of medical checks and we have a high quality medical team. Nothing out of the ordinary has ever happened, but anything can happen, nobody can control everything". Finally, when asked about the Confederations Cup final that Spain played against Brazil, he said: "The defeat hurt because it was a final, however minor the competition. Our opponents deserved the victory. They were lucky enough to score goals at key moments and the team were not able to react. We got to know Brazil and that is a positive. In South Africa were finished third and then went on to win the World Cup. We hope to repeat that success next year". -Massey
Posted on: Tue, 30 Jul 2013 14:18:51 +0000
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