Zinedine Zidane has attempted to calm the euphoria surrounding Real Madrid by warning there is still a long way to go before they can celebrate any silverware.
Zinedine Zidane has attempted to calm the euphoria surrounding Real Madrid by warning there is still a long way to go before they can celebrate any silverware.
Los Blancos’ progression into the Champions League semi-finals and their sudden re-emergence into the La Liga title race has sparked a fervent reaction among fans and media, with an expectation that Zidane will lead Los Blancos to glory growing stronger by the day.
An impressive run of seven straight league wins, achieved with a cumulative goal difference of 27- 5, has left Madrid just one point behind floundering leaders Barcelona, who were among the victims for Zidane’s side.
But ahead of Wednesday night’s testing home clash with fourth-placed Villarreal, the Bernabeu boss attempted to ensure that nobody gets carried away with their promising form as he said: "We still haven’t won anything at all."
"I don’t like people saying that we’re going to win everything. We have to play the games first. We have the fortune of being able to compete for La Liga and the Champions League, but we still haven’t won anything at all."
"We are capable of winning the double because we are getting closer, but that’s all. We will have to keep on working hard until the final day. The good thing is that the players think in the same way as me, and they know it won’t be easy."
Zidane was also keen to emphasise that Barcelona should still be regarded as favourites despite their poor recent form, and that second-placed Atletico should not be taken lightly.
"Barca and Atletico are ahead of us and I can see them winning every game from now on. All we can do is try to win all our games," he added.
Zidane will be forced to reshuffle his pack with the absence of right-sided duo Dani Carvajal and Gareth Bale, who are both injured, but are not expected to miss next week’s Champions League semi-final first leg with Manchester City.
Bale’s absence – which has caused some issues with fans given he was seen playing 36 holes of golf on Sunday – will provide James Rodriguez or Isco an opportunity to build upon their performances in Saturday 5-1 thrashing of Getafe, where both got onto the scoresheet.
But the absence of Carvajal is potentially a bigger blow, with Zidane likely to turn to Br azilian full-back Danilo for the first time since he was jeered by Bernabeu fans during the home win against Eibar.