Real keen to seize on momentum after dominating ‘Clasico’

(Reuters) - ‘El Clasico’ may have finished goalless, but Real Madrid were left emboldened by their superb performance at Barcelona and will hope to build on the momentum when they host Athletic Bilbao on Sunday in their final La Liga game of 2019.

Zinedine Zidane’s side became the first team to take points off Barca at the Camp Nou this season but were left feeling short changed by the draw after dominating the play and having two strong penalty appeals turned down.

Real are now unbeaten in 12 games in all competitions and have come into their own against the toughest opponents, with Wednesday’s performance ranking alongside their 2-2 draw with Paris St Germain as their best of the season.

“We are in great form and we are also in good shape physically. It’s a shame that the year is about to end, we would like it to not stop,” said Real captain Sergio Ramos.

Barca, meanwhile, gave an uncharacteristically shy account of themselves and the onus will be on them to produce an emphatic response at home to Alaves on Saturday after a match which has further harmed coach Ernesto Valverde’s reputation.

Newspaper Marca said the match, the first ‘Clasico’ to finish goalless in 17 years, had “caused a lot of damage” to Valverde, who in his third season in charge is struggling to get his immensely talented side to play as they know how.

Even though Barca are still top of the standings, leading Real only by goal difference, this has been a difficult season for them and they are on a downward trend after looking utterly superior to their rivals in the previous two campaigns.

Valverde’s defence of his side’s uninspiring display indicated he might not be capable of giving the team the shake up they need to win the title race.

“Barca-Real Madrid matches should be evenly matched, they are a great team, a powerful force so it’s normal that they made life tough for us,” said the coach, who saw his side thrash Real 5-1 last year and beat them 3-0 away in his debut season.

“It’s not normal that we put five goals past them or finish 17 points above them, even though that’s what has happened in recent years.”

PRETORIA, (Reuters) - Fast bowler Kagiso Rabada says the new-look South African squad are learning fast from head coach Mark Boucher and batting consultant Jacques Kallis ahead of the first test against England in Centurion that starts on Boxing Day.

Ex-wicketkeeper Boucher and all-rounder Kallis are new to their roles, but have 986 games of international cricket behind them across all three formats, including 313 tests, and will aim to get the ailing South African red ball side back on track after a dismal 2019.

“Jacques and Mark are both greats of the game so just to listen to them share their knowledge – not necessarily skills based, but how you mentally approach certain situations. They speed up your learning process,” Rabada told reporters on Thursday.

“They have a plan, they are really decisive about what they want. There is an expectation on every player to do what is required.”

The fiery Rabada, number two on the test bowler rankings, says he is also looking forward to working with bowling consultant Charl Langeveldt, who will link up with the squad after being released from his contract with Bangladesh.

“I really enjoy working with him, he is in the same bracket as Jacques and Mark. They all know what they are talking about and played at this level for such a long time,” he said.

“Everyone is on the same page, we are still trying to define roles for each player to execute, but that is a process and it will come.”

Rabada knows the challenge that the tourists will present, especially as South Africa have lost their last five tests and have not won a home series against England since 1999.

“England are on a high in world cricket at the moment, they have been playing a lot of test cricket and have a team that is well-drilled and has been playing together for some time,” he said.

“Our challenge is that we are going through a transition period and we need to see if we can step up. We believe we can, that is the mood in the changeroom.”