Van Der Vaart: We’ll Play Better If We Stay Calm

Real Madrid midfielder Rafael van der Vaart is unperturbed by the team’s lack of consistency, as he believes that the players will perform much better if they remain composed.

Los Merengues picked up another nervy and dramatic come-from-behind win against Málaga on Saturday night but there is growing concern with the amount of goals the team have been conceding.

They have shipped in 16 goals in just 10 rounds of league football, the fifth worst defensive record at present, and an even more unflattering ratio if other competitions are taken into account. Bernd Schuster’s men are also struggling to nail down any sort of consistent form, but midfielder Rafa van der Vaart believes that they will find their true style sooner rather than later.

“It’s hard to explain why we’ve been so inconsistent. We are conceding a lot of goals at the moment, but I think it’s just a bad streak,” he told the club’s official website during an interview.

“But if we stay calm, we will be able to play better. We shouldn’t allow it to make us nervous because it will only get worse if we did."

“We have to focus on our own game and not worry about what other sides may or may not be doing. We will gradually get better because we are doing a good job.”

When asked if he’s happy to let in-form Gonzalo Higuaín continue to take penalties, he replied: “I don’t mind if he continues to take them all because he always scores. He is very confident right now and we must take advantage of that.”

Finally, the 25-year-old playmaker commented on Sergio Ramos’ sending off against Málaga at the weekend.

He said: “He wasn’t happy about it, but that’s natural. These things happen. We’ve all seen a red card at some time. It was a mistake… that’s all.”