Iker Casillas

[LuNo]

Casillas Joins Madrid's Ref Attack

Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas, who only last week admitted that the referee had handed them a lifeline against Atletico Madrid, has joined the club's offensive against refereeing.

Fabio Capello criticized the preformance of the referee after the 1-1 draw with Getafe, and sporting Director Pedja Mijatovic has since chimed in.

Real Madrid's claims have now found a rather unlikely backer in Iker Casillas, usually known for putting the focus on Madrid's poor form and lack of aggresiveness.

"I am not sure if it is correct to protest, or to be quiet and take it," Casillas told Marca radio.

"It is certain that they can make mistakes, and it is also certain that they did benefit us against Atletico [Madrid], but I can say that they have harmed us more than benefited.

"Complaining and crying is not good, but then neither is taking a punch on your nose and doing nothing. I am no longer sure which of them is better.

"I am not requesting that they help us, just that they do not harm us either."

Real Madrid's next league game is against Barca at the Camp Nou on Saturday, and the upturn in their criticism of referees is being seen in Barcelona as an attempt to pressure the officials ahead of the big game.

Having made those remarks, though, Casillas went on to admit that Los Merengues had been poor at home again, against Getafe.

"We threw away another opportunity to reduce the points differece," he said. "For a team aspiring to win La Liga, it is a very poor home record. Honestly, I am happier we play the next two games away."

[LuNo]

2 - BAYERN MUNICH: Kahn; Sagnol (Görlitz, 84’), Lucio, Van Buyten, Lahm; Salihamidzic, Van Bommel, Hargreaves, Schweinsteiger; Makaay (Pizarro, 68’) and Podolski (Demichelis, 87’).

1 – REAL MADRID:Casillas; Torres, Sergio Ramos, Helguera, Roberto Carlos; Emerson (Guti, 31’), Diarra, Gago (Robinho, 74’), Raúl; Higuain (Cassano, 46’) and Van Nistelrooy.

REFEREE: Lubos Michel, Slovakia.

Booked Sergio Ramos, Van Bommel, Podolski and Guti.

Sent off Van Bommel and Diarra after showing them two yellow cards in the 81st minute.

GOALS

1-0: Min. 1: Swift run in by Salihamidzic down the right and his cross is pushed in by Makaay.

2-0:: Min. 66: Lucio heads a corner to the back of the netcorner.

2-1: Min. 82: Van Nistelrooy, following a penalty shot.

HIGHLIGHTS: Return leg of the Champions League Round of 16. 3-2, first leg result. 4-4 aggregate score, with Madrid out on away goals. Munich Arena stadium hosted the event with an attendance of 66,000 spectators, 3,500 of which were Madridistas. The pitch was in perfect playing condition. It rained during the game and the temperature at the time of the game was 8ºC.

[LuNo]

[LuNo]

[LuNo]

Barcelona vs. Real Madrid

KEEPERS: Iker Casillas, Diego López, Casilla.

DEFENDERS: Michel Salgado, Iván Helguera, Pavón, Marcelo, Torres, Sergio Ramos, Mejía.

MIDFIELDERS: Emerson, Diarrá, Guti, Gago, De la Red, Robinho.

STRIKERS: Raúl, Van Nistelrooy, Cassano, Higuaín.

[Ange]

I'm still bummed out, but I hope we do well in Barcelona, thanks Luno

[LuNo]

You're welcome Ange

[LuNo]

Casillas Ready To Confront His Nemesis

Iker Casillas is well-known for being a goalie who drives many strikers to distraction with match-saving saves, but today the Real Madrid number 1 will come face-to face with his nemesis again: Samuel Eto’o.

Both have faced each other on opposite sides a total of nine times, during which the Cameroonian ace has rippled Iker’s nets seven times; four for ex-club RCD Mallorca and the other tree with current club FC Barcelona.

"I know Samuel very well and he's an amazing striker, but, like any other player who I face, I'll just try to do my job and stop him from scoring. I'm ready for the match as are my team-mates and what happened before is history. What mattyers is what happens today", explained the Merengue man.

There is, however, some doubt as to how things will go between the two today as Samuel is slated for a potential bench start after showing against Liverpool that he may be theoretically match fit but he’s still not back to the ultra-high standards he himself expects.

Some pundits place Gudjohnsen in the number 9’s place to start with, the Iceman having hit home against Liverpool but also having put a few backs up with rather inopportune declarations – although ringing with truth – about a lack of cohesion and self-sacrifice in the Blaugrana ranks.

Rijkaard won’t confirm the number 9 or number 7 as a starter yet. “I see Samuel in good shape, with high morale and ready to play, but we need to move forward step by step and not rush things.”

“It’s a special match and not just for Samuel”, emphasised the tactician when asked about the player facing his ex-club. “It’s not the first time that he’s played against Real Madrid, so there aren’t any brand new feelings, just those of a professional who wants to do a good job for his club.”

With only two matches having finished without Iker having to scoop one of Samuel’s goals from the back of his net,, so there aren’t any brand new feelings, just those of a professional who wants to do a good job for his club.”

With only two matches having finished without Iker having to scoop one of Samuel’s goals from the back of his net, teal Madrid goalkeeper will be breathing a small sigh of relief that the African lion isn’t on roaring form right now…but will he bite?

[LuNo]

Barcelona 3: Valdes; Oleguer, Puyol, Thuram, Marquez (Gudjohnsen, min.80); Deco (Belletti, min.70), Xavi, Iniesta, Meci; Ronaldinho and Eto’o (Sylvinho, min.45).

Real Madrid 3: Casillas; Salgado, Sergio Ramos, Helguera, Torres; Diarra, Gago, Guti (De la Red, min.80), Raul (Robinho, min.60); Higuain and Van Nistelrooy.

Referee: Alberto Undiano Mallenco. Navarre Refereeing Association. Cautioned Ramos (min.20), Van Nistelrooy (min.43), Xavi (min.45), Deco (min.51), Diarra (min.66), Salgado (min.70) and Torres (min.90). Sent off Oleguer with two bookings (min.45)

Goals:

0-1: Van Nistelrooy

1-1: Messi

1-2: Van Nistelrooy

2-2: Messi

2-3: Sergio Ramos

3-3: Messi

Notes: Matchday 26 of the Primera Liga with the Clasico held at the Camp Nou.

[LuNo]

[LuNo]

[LuNo]

[LuNo]

[LuNo]

Players upset

The players of Real Madrid were proud of their performance at the Camp Nou, but quite upset after Leo Messi's goal in the dying minutes: “We domniated throughout the match; it was a pity.”

IKER CASILLAS

“The draw is quite positive because we played away and against Barcelona, but seeing how the game unfolded, it's a real pity that they equalised in the end.”

“We are certain that this will gove us food for thought for the upcoming fixtures. We don't have to hesitate. We had chances to kill the game, but then again, so did they, especially the last one.”

[LuNo]

We’re Losing Respect – Casillas

Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas believes the club is losing the fear factor that has made them such a great side of the years.

The Merengues drew 3-3 with Barcelona at Camp Nou on Saturday night, but will be kicking themselves after conceding a late goal to a Barca side that played with ten men for over half of the game.

Casillas admitted: "You leave hurt because it would have been a very important victory and for Barcelona it would have been a major blow to them. It was a good chance to show our authority with a blow like that. At Madrid, we have been losing respect.

"It was a good result, away from home. But at 2-3, they score in the 92nd minute. You feel very sorry."

Lionel Messi bagged an amazing hat-trick, with Ruud van Nistelrooy (2) and Sergio Ramos on target for Real.

[LuNo]

[LuNo]

[LuNo]

Casillas press conference

"We can still win the League"

Iker Casillas is a heavyweight in the dressing room and he was very bold in a press conference when asked about Real Madrid's main goal. "We want to win the League," he said firmly. On Sunday they play against Nastic Tarragona at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium and they will do their best to win.

It looks you are determined to win the League, but you are aware that it won't be easy, right?

After our performance against Barcelona there's euphoria in the air. We want to do our best and to recover the fans' excitement. We are five points behind Sevilla and Barcelona and there are other teams fighting for the title as well. We are optimistic again thanks to the match in Barcelona; before, we seemed to have a defeatist attitude. We played very well against Barça and we realised that the game could mark a point of no return for us.

The support campaign at the Club seems strange because you are going to face a team in the relegation zone on Sunday.

I don't think it's strange. Any team in the League can be dangerous. Seeing that we have only won two points at home out of a possible nine, facing Nastic is as important as facing Bayern Munich. We've even dropped points at home playing against teams down to ten men.

You are all very happy with the game in Barcelona despite the fact that you drew.

Of course we are happy; Sevilla didn't win either. We realised we can't make any more mistakes. This League is very strange. All the contenders are in a five or six point range and neither of us seem to ever grab hold of the lead spot. We are preparing ourselves to truly kick-start once and for all and to turn the Bernabéu into a fortress. We want to do things well.

The "Together We Can! Together We Stand!" campaign seems quite artificial.

We would be hipocrites if it were. We are not going to be false with our fans. We may suffer when things don't work out, but they're the ones that go back home in disappointment. Things aren't going well for us at the Bernabéu and we need the support of our fans. We must all stand together to achieve something positive.

Will you benefit from the fact that most of your direct rivals are also playing in other competitions?

Maybe. Sevilla, Barcelona and Valencia are in other competitions and that may exhaust them. We have much more time to prepare for each League game.

Why does the team find it so hard to earn good results at home?

I think it's a problem of mentality. It's as if it was us who got stage fright as opposed to the visiting team. We get nervous and we want to change that. We are more confident now.

Raúl said in an interview yesterday that your opponents no longer respected you.

The Bernabéu was a fortress when we used to win League titles. We have a great opportunity to win 21 points in seven games at home. We must be confident at the Bernabéu in order to shake nervousness off and to make the crowd enjoy themselves. We hope to change things and to be excited as soon as we step onto the pitch.

Is this reaction going to start against Nastic on Sunday?

With all due respect to Nastic, we have to win because of the difference betwen both teams, both clubs and our positioning on the table... We must be very focused nevertheless.

Why react now and not before?

At the start of the season we were into group dynamics of recently past seasons. If we finish the year without any titles we will be very disappointed. We are like every other working person out there; we like to do our job well, and if we don't, we are sad and disappointed.

Sergio Ramos thinks you will win the League.

We all think we can win the League, but we know it will be very difficult to do so. Many teams are in a five point range, which makes this League very different. Winning or loosing one game can drastically change the competition.

Why do you think you can win the League?

The League isn't lost yet because other teams still haven't won it. There are still 36 points at stake and the leaders are only five points ahead of us. We have also won the goalaverage over Barcelona. We can still win the competition.

Have you talked to Fabio Capello about your plans to win the League?

We talk constantly and we the veterans try to get the rest excited. Many of us haven't won anything in four years and others that arrived later than us haven't won anything in one or two. We must get each other excited.

Does Capello also think you can win the League?

Of course. We are all equally motivated. We can win the championship because we still have options, but we mustn't be careless.

Have you become an essential player on the Spanish national team?

I'm very lucky because Luis Aragonés has known me for four years and has seen many of my games and training sessions and has always decided to call me up. He thinks I'm good on the team and that's why he drafts me.

Did you see Palop's goal?

I'm very happy for him. Goalkeepers going up to the area to try to finish off a corner kick are a bit crazy because it doesn't work many times, but he scored and his goal made Sevilla go through to the next round.

[LuNo]

[LuNo]