Juande Ramos Pleased Real Madrid Triumphed Without Arjen Robben

Real Madrid coach, Juande Ramos, has admitted today that he still believes his side can "reduce the two digit gap down to one" with regards to Barcelona's lead in The Primera Division.

The Catalans dropped their first points of the year against Real Betis at the weekend and Ramos claimed they must wait to "cut the gap little by little" so that Barca "feel the pressure".

He also spoke about the secret behind his side's eighth successive win at the weekend, claiming it is "to work a lot" and "to be short-term", but also "to be patient, to know that there is still a long way to go and to continue this way".

Most significantly Madrid managed to win without Arjen Robben, and Ramos told Marca that he was pleased with the victory.

"For sure Robben is playing at a great level, but the feeling had been created that we had a dependence on him. It has been shown that we have another group of players and the team continued to show their worth," he mused.

Unsurprisingly, the coach also took time to praise Raul, who broke Alfredo Di Stefano's goal scoring record for Madrid at the weekend.

"Raul is the living history of the club. He still has a few years left, and he will have some numbers and records that will be very difficult for anyone to break," he declared.

"At this time, we have to enjoy what we are living with him, we have to perform as well as he is performing."

James Walker-Roberts, Goal.com


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