Year: 2013

Sergio Ramos has hailed Andres Iniesta for the impact that he has had on the Spanish team over the years.

Spain has to play its last World Cup qualifying game against Georgia tomorrow at Albacete which is the hometown of Iniesta.

Ramos was talking to the reporters in the pre match press conference. When he was asked about Iniesta and his contributions for the Spanish team, he said, “We are really lucky to have got guys like Andres. He has contributed heavily for the side in the last 6-7 years.”

“Not only is a quality player, he is a fantastic person too and that’s why people love him that much.”

In its previous match against Belarus, Spain had gone with only three defenders and Ramos had to play as a right back rather than a centre back which is his usual position.

When asked about that, the 27 years old Real Madrid player said, “I had to be a bit creative playing in that position against Belarus.”

“If the team wants me to continue playing in that position, I would do that. But, I do think that when we play with four defenders, we look a more balanced side.”

Meanwhile, the Atletico Madrid striker Diego Costa who has already played a few matches for the Brazilian national team might feature for Spain now.

When asked about that, Ramos said, “It depends on the manager. We have got nothing to do with it.”

“If he comes here, he would certainly get a warm reception from us. He has got amazing skills and he will make this team stronger; no doubt about that.”

Spain has a great chance of making it to the World Cup finals. They just need one point against Georgia and they will be on their way to Brazil.

Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos has told his teammates to forget the reign of Jose Mourinho and enjoy their time under the new manager Carlo Ancelotti.

The Italian manager replaced the former Inter Milan boss as the Madrid boss this close season and the Spanish international has been thoroughly impressed by the way the former Chelsea boss is trying to get the team to play beautiful football. The side under Ancelotti is paying more attention to a swift passing game than under his predecessor and the Italian remains confident he has the players at his disposal that can easily adapt to the change is style.

And speaking to the media from the United States of America where Real Madrid are taking part in the Guinness International Champions Cup, Sergio Ramos stated that the players have to forget the Mourinho era and concentrate on what they are trying to achieve under the new manager. He went on to add that the style of play Ancelotti is trying to get them play is also not new to them.
The Spanish centre back stated that the team has great players with great ability and they must adapt to the new system. He mentioned that the team has players that can make a difference and have a balanced squad altogether.

Spanish skipper and legendary goalkeeper Iker Casillas was also given his first start by Ancelotti after six months in the 2-1 win over Everton after a falling out with Mourinho and Sergio Ramos stated that it was good and for him personally, it was a novelty to play in front a goalkeeper of his caliber.

Ramos further mentioned that to the player, he remains the best goalkeeper in the world and that is enough confidence for both the players in front of him and Casillas as well.

The centre-back of Real Madrid, Sergio Ramos, has expressed his disappointment over his side’s defeat in the final match of the Copa Del Rey against Atletico Madrid.

Real Madrid was defeated by 2-1 in the final match. They had started well and had taken the lead with the goal of Cristiano Ronaldo in the 14th minute, but, Atletico bounced back superbly after that.

Diego Costa scored the equalizer for Atletico in the 35th minute, and then, Miranda with a fine header in the 8th minute of the extra time gave them a decisive lead of 2-1.

When asked about that match, Ramos said, “It was disappointing to end up on the losing side in the final. Atletico played better than us and they deserved to lift the trophy.”

“I think we got a little bit complacent after scoring that first goal. We lost 3 or 4 easy opportunities. You can’t afford to do that in a big game like final.”

When asked about the overall performance of Real Madrid in this season, Ramos said, “We didn’t manage to win any title this season. The whole team is gutted about that. I just want to say to our supporters to keep faith in the team. Hopefully, the next season will be better for us.”

When asked about the exit of Jose Mourinho after this season, Ramos said, “We will miss him for sure. He is one of the best coaches going around. I personally had a very good tuning with him. He helped me a lot in improving my game.”

“It’s his personal decision to move back to England and rather than debating on it, we should just respect his decision.”

Mourinho served Real Madrid as a manager for three years. Recently, he returned to his former club Chelsea.

The Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema has come under intense criticism in recent months after failing to show form in front of goal. The 25-year-old has managed just eight goals in 22 appearances for Real Madrid this season, while he has won 11 matches without scoring for his international team – France.

His struggles in front of goal this season have been compared with the struggles he faced when he initially arrived at the Real Madrid. In his first season at the club, he managed just eight goals. The last two seasons, though, Benzema has been able to show the kind of form that persuaded Madrid to pay £35 million for his services.

Despite this criticism, his teammate at Madrid – Sergio Ramos – has leapt to his defence. Ramos has said that doubting the qualities of Benzema is madness because of the quality that the striker possesses. He has said that Benzema has the ability to turn the match around whether it be for France or Real Madrid. According to Ramos, Benzema is almost unstoppable when he is on form. He is of the opinion that the Spaniards will have to be wary of the threat posed by Benzema when they take on France in a crucial World Cup qualifying match.

“Doubting a footballer like Benzema is madness. He’s an outstanding striker for Madrid and France who can turn a match around. Everyone is free to think what they want, but when he’s on form there are few strikers who are as good as him. You have to be very focused facing him, because if you make one mistake he’ll score against you,” said Ramos. Spain come into the match on the back of a disappointing run of form, which has seen them draw 1-1 against Finland. As a result, they are in the second position behind France in the group.

Sergio Ramos has said that Real Madrid can still win the La Liga title in the ongoing season. Madrid is currently at no. 3 in the La Liga points table with 36 points in 18 matches. Barcelona FC which is at the top of the table has also played the same no. of matches, but, has 16 more points than Madrid. These numbers suggest that it’s going to be an uphill task for Madrid to defend the La Liga title, but, Ramos has full faith on his team and he said that his team would perform much better in the second half of the season and hopefully, would win the La Liga title again.

When asked about the performance of Real Madrid in the ongoing season, Ramos said, “This season hasn’t been as great as the last season for us. We haven’t performed well in a few games and have got defeated. But, we are only in the middle of season. It’s not that the season has finished. We still have chance to turn things around. If we perform up to our potential in the second half of the season, there is no reason why we can’t defend the title. We can do it again.”

“If you look at the team, this is the same team that had won the title last year. Some players haven’t been at their best so far, but, they are class acts and once they get back to top form, it would be very hard to stop us.”

“When results don’t go in your favour, you need to remain calm and keep trying and that’s what we will have to do in the remaining part of the season. I have full faith in the potential that we have got. Hopefully, we would play like champions in the second half of the season and would end up winning the La Liga title again.”