Zizou: Real fans are warming to me

After Real Madrid handily beat Espanyol on Saturday 5-1, new boy Zinedine Zidane showed his relief in notching his first goal, a strike from outside the box assisted by teammate Raul Gonzalez.

Zidane said after the match: "Everything is great. After three matches without victory, I didn`t like the situation we were in. This victory arrived just in time to resolve some problems."

Madrid supporters, known to be finicky to new players finally showed their support for the midfielder.

"It was simply fantastic. When I arrived I was given tremendous support by the club but I was not sure how the fans would react," Zidane explained. "Each day, though, I believe they are warming to me and it is great that we are forming a relationship."

Zizou has been out of European competitions for the club thanks to card accumulation, but the player has adopted a philosophical approach to the situation.

"I think it has been good for me to miss the Champions League, as I have been able to work hard without having any interruptions."

"This has allowed me to get fit," he said.

Madrid coach Vicente del Bosque can finally relax after struggling to find that proper chemistry in the line-up. He added that he has been experimenting with the line-up to find something that works. "There is more than one way to win," Del Bosque said.

"We can use different paths to achieve the same purpose."

Real ran over Lokomotiv Moscow mid-week and that win seemed to be carried over to the weekend’s league performance.

"I am happy because the team now has confidence, they created chances and scored goals," he stated.