Zinedine Zidane defends Real Madrid players

Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane defended his squad on Tuesday and stated that if a player is not performing well, he looks for solutions and does not criticize, distributing the responsibility for the crisis that his team is going through by stating that it is everyone's fault.

"There are many matches and I will need all my players. Many people think that some players are not doing well and that I have to remove them from the team. On the contrary, if a player is not doing well, I look for solutions with him and help him. Unity is more important to me. I am not someone who criticizes when something goes wrong," he said.

"We are all in the same boat and nobody is to blame, it is everyone's fault, including me. Difficulties arise due to everyone's actions, not just one or two," he added.

Zidane, although aware that in football the past does not count for much, recalled the titles his team has won in the two years he has been in charge of Real Madrid.

"We have had two spectacular years, and we must remind people of that, not forget. It is true that the most important thing is the next day and what happened in the past does not matter, but that's not entirely true. We shouldn't disregard what we achieved just 20 days ago. Now, we are going to keep working hard, more than ever, to improve things, but I can't say that everything is terrible after the match against Celta (2-2 draw in Balaídos). We did some good things and I choose to focus on them," he said.

The French coach expressed confidence in his players' rapid improvement and delivered the most optimistic message he could: "We are going to get better, and we still have everything ahead of us. Although things become complicated with the draw in Vigo after a second half that was not good, we are not going to go crazy. With work, we can achieve good things."

Zidane admitted for the first time a motivation problem in his squad after winning everything: "The difficulty lies in motivating a team that has won so much, but motivation is a very important factor."

"We always have to assess the players and see what we can improve. We might think the league is decided, but it is not the most important thing. The important thing is to see what I can contribute to win an important title. We will see what happens in the league, but we have the Copa del Rey and the Champions League on February 13. We need to prepare for that, starting now, and motivate my players to find solutions," he emphasized.

The word "work" was the most repeated by Zidane in his press conference.

"When things like what we are going through happen, we always have to think about work, nothing else. I always believe in it, the players think the same, and we are going to work harder than ever, in every aspect. It is not just physical or mental, it is a bit of everything. We need to work with more strength, there is no other remedy for it," he stated.

Personally, Zidane is not affected by criticism: "I am not hurt, criticism will not change anything." He also acknowledged that during his beginnings, he worked to face tough moments like the one he is experiencing now.

"I am not happy with the situation because I would like to be in a better position in the league, but what I have to do is keep working and give my best. Since what we have done so far is not enough, we need each player to give a little bit more," he pointed out.

"I knew that being a coach is difficult, I prepared for three and a half years for this, knowing that these moments could arrive and especially here. It is part of my job. Everything cannot always be perfect, that's life. No one can take away my desire to keep working hard," he concluded.