Real Madrid coach, Zinedine Zidane, has admitted he would not last long in the job at Real Madrid as Alex Ferguson did at Manchester United but signaled his determination to lead his side through good times and bad after sealing qualification to the Champions League knockout stages.
Madrid went into the last round of group matches on Wednesday night, December 9, in danger of missing out on the knockouts for the first time since the 1996-97 season, when they failed to qualify for the competition.
But Karim Benzema scored twice against Borussia Monchengladbach in the first half to seal a 2-0 win that sent Madrid through in first place.
Madrid lie fourth in La Liga; and the champions league progression comes as a relief for the Frenchman who has had so many downtimes at the club this season.
“I am never going to be Madrid’s [Sir Alex] Ferguson, that’s for sure,” he told reporters, in reference to Manchester United’s legendary boss who spent more than 20 years at Old Trafford.
“I don’t know how long I am going to stay here, I don’t think about it.
“I am very lucky to be at this club and I like being happy even in the most difficult times … I have lived in Spain, in Madrid for a long time and I want to carry on a while longer.
“Madrid come through under pressure, without pressure … well, that doesn’t exist here! We cannot play well all the time.
“We read the game very well, because [Gladbach] are an opponent who can make you pay in the transition and we played spectacularly well.
“I won’t tell you what I said to the players, but all of Madrid can be proud of what they did today on the field.”
Madrid face another huge test on Saturday, this time in La Liga, when they host city rivals Atletico.
Diego Simeone’s men currently sit at the top of the table.
Ojelabi, the publisher of Freelanews, is an award winning and professionally trained mass communicator, who writes ruthlessly about pop culture, religion, politics and entertainment.
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