Real paying for mad pre-season, says Heynckes
Athletic Bilbao coach Jupp Heynckes claimed on Friday that Real Madrid's poor start in the Primera was down to their hectic pre-season. "For financial reasons they had to play too many friendlies," he said. "And Vicente Del Bosque knows that I am right."
Athletic Bilbao coach Jupp Heynckes claimed on Friday that Real Madrid's poor start in the Primera was down to their hectic pre-season. "For financial reasons they had to play too many friendlies," he said. "And Vicente Del Bosque knows that I am right."
Real played six exhibition matches and won just once in their build-up, before their 1-0 defeat by Valencia at the Mestalla over the weekend.
"They did not take the time to get used to each other and make proper preparations for the season," said Heynckes, who guided Real to Champions' League glory in 1998 but was fired due to his domestic record.
Zinedine Zidane has been added to a Real squad that already contained Raul, Luis Figo and Roberto Carlos, but the champions' weak showing in Valencia has opened them to ridicule.
Heynckes nonetheless believes that Del Bosque will eventually get it right. "His squad is so good that we we will soon see the Real Madrid that we know," explained the former Borussia Monchengladbach and Bayern Munich coach.
Heynckes himself got off to a fine start in La Liga when Athletic won the Basque derby at San Sebastian 3-1. But the 56-year-old has warned against premature euphoria.
"I am not happy about the triumphant mood here at Bilbao," he said. "It was only the first match and I won't allow my team to relax. There are still plenty of things that needs to be improved and the team has only shown half the skills I expect of them."