Zidane wants respect for Real achievements
MADRID: A fired-up Zinedine Zidane hit out at Real Madrid’s critics on Friday, demanding respect for both himself and his players while insisting they remain in the La Liga title race.
The current champions sit 10 points behind league leaders Atletico Madrid having played a game more. In an impassioned news conference, Real’s French coach lost his usual composure and said it was too early to write his side off and they should be afforded the respect of a team defending their crown.
“What makes me laugh is you ask me why I might be annoyed (at questions over his future),” he said ahead of Saturday’s match against Huesca.
“I don’t deserve to be treated like that by the press. We won the league last season and I’d hope for a bit of respect. We’ve earned the right to fight for La Liga this season, at least give us the season. Next season, there’ll need to be changes, but this year let us, the team who won the league last season, fight for it this year, too. It wasn’t 10 years ago, it was last season.
“Just show us a little bit of respect for what we’ve achieved.
You (the press) say a lot. Why don’t you tell me to my face that you want me out of the club, not just behind my back.”
Bayern bea Hertha 1-0
BERLIN: Robert Lewandowski missed a penalty but a deflected effort from Kingsley Coman helped Bayern Munich eke out a hard-fought 1-0 victory at Hertha Berlin in the Bundesliga on Friday.
Bayern stretched their winning run in the league to five games, while Hertha remained in relegation trouble with just one point from its last six games.
New signings Sami Khedira and Nemanja Radonjic went on in the second half to make their Hertha debuts.