I Was Surprised By The Substitution – Marcelo
Aug 28, 2018 at 7:58 AM
Despite conceding an early goal, Real Madrid thrashed 4-1 Girona in the end. Julen Loptegui’s got a victory at Girona where Zinedine Zidane lost 2-1 last season. However, there were some decisions of Loptegui that stunned Real Madrid including Marcelo.
Marcelo was surprised of the decision of the new manager.
The former Spain coach benched Raphael Varane and Luka Modric yet again. And substituted Marcelo in the second half to bring on the France defender.
Marcelo told reporters after the match:
“I was surprised by the substitution but I respect the decision of the coach. I wanted to continue because I felt 100 per cent. We are on the right road and I am sure we are going to improve with each game. We played well today and we got the three points.”
The coach was also asked about the substitution and he said:
“We wanted to tighten things up down that side and focus on being good in the air, an area the opposition are very good in.”
Karim Benzema scored a brace while Gareth Bale and Segio Ramos was also on the score sheet. After the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo, a lot depends on Bale and Benzema. Adding to that, Benzema’s responsibility will increase even more if Real Madrid doesn’t buy any more striker. And it is quite unlikely to happen as after three days, the transfer window will be closed.
The Frenchman told after the match that his side is keen to win the La Liga this season.
“We’re satisfied with the win because they’re three very important points away from home. We’ll look to continue on in the same vein. We’re keen to perform well in LaLiga this season.
He also responded to his critics indirectly saying that football is not only about goals.
“I’ve been here for 10 years and always work hard for the team. I’m raring to score a lot of goals and help the team to pick up silverware. Football isn’t all about goals, it’s about winning games and playing well. I’ll be trying to score a lot of goals to help the team.”