BARCELONA THRASH GIJON TO REDUCE GAP TO ONE POINT BEHIND MADRID
eal Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane insisted Cristiano Ronaldo has to learn to live with being substituted after sulking off the field visibly frustrated in the European champions’ 2-2 draw at Las Palmas.
Zidane replaced the threetime World Player of the Year with Madrid leading 2-1 18 minutes from time, but an unhappy Ronaldo watched from the bench as Sergio Araujo equalised to ensure Real dropped points for the second time in four days. “I have to take him off sometimes and tonight we did it,” said Zidane.
“That isn’t going to change what we are going to continue to do.” At the forefront of Zidane’s mind was Real’s huge Champions League clash away to Borussia Dortmund tomorrow.
However, Ronaldo endured a poor night in front of goal as he fluffed a great chance from Alvaro Morata’s cutback before half-time and fired straight at Javi Varas in the build-up to Madrid’s second goal.
“We have a game on Tuesday and I thought it was the time to take him off, 20 minutes from the end, thinking about Tuesday,” added Zidane.
“I know he always wants to play and always wants to stay on the field, but I also have to think about the players and for me it was best to rest and think about Tuesday.”
Ronaldo has completed 90 minutes just twice this season, though, as he was also replaced early on his return from a knee ligament injury against Osasuna earlier this month and missed last weekend’s win at Espanyol due to illness.
Meanwhile, two goals in two first-half minutes from Luis Suarez and Rafinha put Barcelona on track to a 5-0 win over Sporting Gijon, which seems to answer the question over whether or not they can still perform without Leo Messi.
Barca without Messi
Barcelona coach Luis Enrique on Saturday made five changes from the side which drew 1-1 at home to Atletico Madrid on Wednesday and was without Messi, who picked up a groin injury in the game.
The first 25 minutes saw Barca struggling to find fluency against a rival that was working hard in midfield and all the attacking baggage they showed were two shots over the bar from Andre Gomes.
Real’s lead over Barcelona at the top of the table now stands at a solitary point having failed to bounce back from a 1-1 draw with Villarreal on Wednesday that snapped a 16-game winning streak in La Liga.
Of most concern for Madrid is their leaky defence as they have now kept just one clean sheet in their last six games.
“Sometimes there are games like this where you have the chances to win and you don’t Hamburg 0 Bayern Munich Augsburg 1 Darmstadt Frankfurt 3 Hertha Berlin Werder Bremen 2 Wolfsburg
Lorient Bastia Bordeaux Dijon Monaco Montpellier
1 Lyon 1 Guingamp 0 Caen 3 Rennes 2 Angers 0 Metz 1 0 3 1
0 0 0 0 1 1 take them,” continued Zidane.
Gareth Bale looked back close to the form which saw him shine towards the end of last season and at Euro 2016 and believes Ronaldo will also need time to get back to 100 per cent fitness following his two-month injury layoff after the euros.