Zidane calls five-goal thrashing a good wake-up call
Zinedine Zidane says Real Madrid's worst home defeat in four years could not have come at a better time -- just three days before their Champions League semi-final first leg with Juventus.
Zinedine Zidane says Real Madrid's worst home defeat in four years could not have come at a better time -- just three days before their Champions League semi-final first leg with Juventus.
"It was a good wake-up call. Luckily we go straight into Tuesday's big game without having too much time to mope about it," he said Monday.
Real, who crashed 5-1 to Real Mallorca, were whistled off by the Santiano Bernabeu fans who singled out captain Fernando Hierro's lame defending.
Real's defence was also exposed by Manchester United in the second leg of their quarter-final at Old Trafford when a Ronaldo hat-trick prevented United staging a remarkable comeback.
Real won 3-1 at home but lost 4-3 in Manchester.
But Zidane said the whole team was to blame for the Mallorca debacle.
"My own defensive work was not up to scratch, for a start," he said.
"But we have had a good team talk to thrash out the problem. We know we can't allow a side like Juventus the space we gave away on Saturday. Juventus can close a game down and snatch the chances that come their way."
Zidane, who left Juventus for Real in 2001 for 72.1 million euros, said Real would have to produce the form that saw off Manchester United to beat Juventus.
"We've got to get our passing game back. We need to play as well as we did against Manchester," he said.
One advantage was the suspension of Juventus defender Paolo Montero and midfielders Edgar Davids and Alessio Tacchinardi.
"I can't deny that's not going to help us," he said. "But Juventus have a strong squad and whoever plays will be up to the job."
Striker Raul Gonzalez, who only trained with the ball at his feet for the first time in two weeks on Sunday, following his recent appendix operation is Real's only absentee.
"I hope he'll be back for the return." said Zidane.
Inter face AC Milan in the first leg of the other semi-final on Wednesday.
The two Italian clubs have never played each other in Europe before but have met 142 times in the Italian league.
All four clubs in this week's semi-finals are former European Cup winners - the first time that has happened since 1980-81 when Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Inter Milan and Liverpool reached the last four.
Real Madrid are chasing a 10th European Cup, Milan have won the title five times, Inter twice and Juventus twice.
Real and Juventus have met eight times in Europe in the past 41 years - all the matches being in either the European Cup or Champions League.
Their last clash was in the 1998 Champions League final in Amsterdam which Real won 1-0 when Zidane was on the losing side.