08/06/2020 - 16:54
- Clarín.com
- sports
Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane said Thursday that Welsh striker Gareth Bale was left out of the squad to visit Manchester City on Friday for the second leg of the Champions League round of 16 because "he preferred not to play "
"We have a relationship of respect between player and coach, he has preferred not to play and nothing else, the rest is between him and me, " said Zidane at the press conference prior to the meeting this Friday for the Champions League in Manchester.
In the previous one it had called the attention that the Frenchman left Bale out of those, although now the DT clarified that it was not due to a soccer decision but "personal".
"The rest is a conversation between coach and player and I'm not going to tell you anything," added the Merengue coach , who did not want to speculate on what may happen in the future.
"I don't know, he's a Real Madrid player now, nothing changes, he's a Real Madrid player. He preferred not to play, it's the only thing I can say," said Zidane, seriously, wanting to turn the page and focus on the important Friday's match at the Etihad Stadium, where Madrid will try to turn the series after the 2-1 defeat in the first leg match played at the Santiago Bernabéu.
"We are prepared, we are facing this final because there are four finals if we want to reach the definition. We know that the first leg is a disadvantage, but we are focused and we are going to try to play a great match," insisted Zidane.
The good news for Zizou is that he will be able to count on Belgian striker Eden Hazard, who was preserved in the last games of the League because he had ankle discomfort. "He is much better and we have had a lot of time to prepare for the match and I think he is fine and with confidence," said the coach.
For his part, the central marker Raphael Varane analyzed the next game against Guardiola's. "We are going to have to do a great match," the Frenchman remarked, "I have a nice team that has its weapons, we are going to see a nice match and we have to think about passing this final. We are facing a good opponent, who attacks very well. We have to score, but also have balance, be effective in both areas and have a lot of concentration. "
Varane will be the leader of the defense, in the absence of captain Sergio Ramos, who was sent off in the first leg.
"Sergio is a very important player for us, but we also know that we are a group in which we all have our role," said Varane.
Source: AFP
