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Tuesday, May 22, 2018, 17:45
Real Madrid's Zidane highlights desire and team spirit as success
By Xinhua
Tuesday, May 22, 2018, 17:45 By Xinhua

Real Madrid's French coach Zinedine Zidane smiles during a press conference at Real Madrid sport city in Madrid on Aug 12, 2017, on the eve of the Spanish SuperCup first leg football match Real Madrid CF vs FC Barcelona. (JAVIER SORIANO / AFP)

MADRID - Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane highlighted the work he and his players carry out every day as the biggest success since taking over at the club two and a half years ago.

We have been together for three years, we work together, we make a huge effort and have a desire to do things well

Zinedine Zidane, Coach, Real Madrid

Zidane was speaking at the press open day at Real Madrid's Valdebebas training ground ahead of next Saturday's Champions League final against Liverpool in Kiev.

A win for Madrid would give them a historic 13th Champions League title and make his side the first ever to lift the trophy for three consecutive years in its current format, but rather than focus on titles, Zidane preferred to focus on the work he carries out every day with his players.

The dressing room is "good, united and works very well, when you have talent that is not enough, you have also to work well," said Zidane.

"We have been together for three years, we work together, we make a huge effort and have a desire to do things well. There isn't one moment, I would highlight, it's the daily work we do," he said.

He said that after winning the last two Champions League finals, the Madrid side maintains the will to win it always had.

"What I can say is that we always have the same desire...the same desire, hopes and will to win as always, nobody can say we are less hungry than our rivals; we are Real Madrid and that is what we have. We always want more," commented the Real Madrid coach.

Zidane's side finished third in the Spanish Liga Santander, ending the campaign 17 points behind FC Barcelona, but have negotiated a difficult path to the final, defeating Paris Saint Germain, Juventus and Bayern Munich on the road to Kiev.

"Getting to a final is incredible as it is the hardest thing to do," commented Zidane, who admitted his side had "suffered" over the season.

 "We played against the three best sides in Europe and that gives more value to our qualification. We have had problems during the season, but we are in the final and we have four days left and we are going to prepare it well," he continued.

Zidane said his strength as a coach is that he had spent so long as a player and knew what happens in a dressing room and that he knew how players feel about big games.

Some players won't play on Saturday and some won't even get changed and that is the most difficult thing for a player - to get to a final and know they won't play," he commented

However, he was unwilling to give any clues as to who will play and who won't.

"I am not going to say anything about the starting 11... Our job is to prepare the game well as we always do to see the weakness of our rival and find out how best to hurt them."

"Real Madrid want to win everything, but you can't always win everything, the thing is to work hard every day, if you do that, then you have not failed," he concluded.

READ MORE: Zidane: Maybe we lack a striker, but we will get by

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