Gilberto on Real Madrid's Brazilians
From Icons.com - Monday 20th February 2006
This entire article is the voice of Gilberto himself:
Playing Real Madrid in a Champions League knockout stage is as motivating as it gets, but apart from the occasion itself, we should play with our hearts for the simple fact this the only competition we can still win this season. I do believe that this might be the moment we can shake off this horrible spell.
We are also talking about the Champions League, the dream of our club and our supporters. We obviously can't bet all of our chips because there is still the fight for a Champions League place in the Premiership. The match at the Bernabeu will be fundamental but we should look at it as a chance to put a lot of troubles behind us. It will be more than only a technical and tactical affair.
If somebody had asked me two years ago, I'd say Arsenal would be under more pressure in this tie, but Madrid are certainly under more scrutiny than us. Just look how many big names they have signed.
Real have enough quality to beat anybody and everybody saw how they bounced back well against Zaragoza. It would be foolish to think they are down and out, especially because it's very common for a team to have different moments in different competitions - remember Liverpool last season?
It's hard to judge from the outside what went wrong with Madrid. Perhaps they were damaged by so many managerial changes. How many guys took over in the last couple years? This lack of time given to the managers has certainly taken its toll. But it's Real Madrid we are talking about. They have to be respected.
Arsene hasn't asked me yet about hints on the Brazilian players at Madrid. I'm sure he's been studying their team a lot. I know the guys there and have a lot of admiration for them, but friendship will be left in the dressing room for this game. It's a bit tricky saying that you can tell how X or Y plays. World-class footballers always find a way to surprise you and that's why we'll need to keep our eyes open.
I do believe Madrid might find it a bit strange playing at Highbury. It's certainly a smaller pitch than the Bernabeu and is also a bit different from some of the grounds they are used to visiting in Spain. Perhaps this will work for us in the second match. Especially if our fans make a lot of noise!
