McManaman's treble ambitions

Real Madrid midfielder Steve McManaman has shrugged off his team's poor league form by saying that they will bounce back to win the treble.

The England international reckons that if Real win all the remaining league and cup games before Christmas, they will be in with a chance to win La Liga, Copa del Rey and Champions League - a feat never achieved by any Spanish team, and it would be particularly special as Real are celebrating their centenary this season.

"We need to win every game until May, it'll be tough but it's important to take as many points as we can before Christmas because this year we want to win all three trophies," an optimistic Macca said.

Real's run-in to the Christmas break includes matches with La Liga's more modest sides - Sevilla, Rayo Vallecano, Osasuna, Tenerife, Real Sociedad and Mallorca - plus some tough games in the Champions League, with the addition of some potential upsets in the Copa, where they must travel to the Canaries to meet Lanzarote.

"It's always better to face weaker rivals because there's more chances of winning," Macca explained.

Regarding the forthcoming Golden Ball award ceremony for European Player of the Year, McManaman said coyly that he would prefer to see Real hitman Raúl González pick up the trophy rather than his former team-mate at Anfield, Michael Owen.

"It's a difficult one for me - Raúl was the top goalscorer in La Liga and the Champions League. Owen has scored a lot of important goals for Liverpool, he's a mate of mine but, I'm going for Raúl," he added.