Robben Has Something To Prove

The Dutch international managed just 12 Liga starts last season in an injury-hit campaign, and although he was largely an impressive influence for the blancos he is determined to go one better this time.

RealMadrid.com quoted him as saying, "I naturally want to play more games this season, that’s my main goal. I want to be fitter, not get injured so often. I can be a very strong and confident player when I’m in good form. I couldn’t be as important as I wanted in my first year. I proved what I am capable of in several matches, but I have to play more this year.

"I need to be fit from the very start of the campaign, something I haven’t been able to do in the last two years here and at Chelsea. I began both campaigns with an injury, which makes it very hard to recover and keep up with the team’s pace.

"Am I less vulnerable to injuries? I think so, but that’s always hard to know for sure. I can tell you I currently feel very well, but anything could happen tomorrow to change that... That’s why I don’t like talking about this much. I do my best to avoid getting injured; I work extra with our physios and recovery experts to strengthen my body. There’s nothing more I can do, really."

Sicknote

The player, while reluctant to speak too much about how injury situation, admitted that he was unsurprised at his reputation as being prone to picking up knocks.

"Many things affect this matter, but it basically has to do with my back, which can affect my muscles negatively if it isn’t completely right. That’s the main problem, but I’ve nevertheless read articles on this matter that have made me laugh out loud because of how stupid they sounded. People sometimes look for strange explanations. I know I have to work hard on my back and to develop strength and flexibility in my muscles," he said.

"Is it a mental thing? I don’t think so. I feel strong in my head. I don’t suffer from anxiety and I am not scared about getting injured. That’s not the problem. It is nevertheless true that you feel rather frustrated when you get injured three or four times; it’s much harder to come back from that. I would have many more problems if this had affected my mind. I’ve always come back stronger from my injuries. It’s just a physical problem.

"I've had a year to adapt, yes, but I don’t think that will have much influence on me getting injured less. I feel happy here and I get along very well with all my teammates. I like to live in Madrid. Everything’s great; I just want to play more and prove myself at Real Madrid, the greatest Club in the world. I want to show Madridistas that I am a great football player, that’s all."

Team Concerns

As for the team's aims, he was single-minded.

"Our goals are always the same: La Liga and the Champions League," affirmed the former Chelsea man.

"Hardly anything’s changed for now and we don’t know what’s going to happen. The important thing is that the team doesn’t change much. We are a young squad that can only do better.

"Will I aim to replicate my form of last year? Yes. That was great, but I can do much better. I think my best performance came in the match against Barcelona. It helped me gain more confidence."


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