Real Madrid News
Villarreal goalkeeper identifies key weakness before daunting Real Madrid trip: ‘We need to improve our…’
Villarreal goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi knows his side will need to improve defensively when they travel to face Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu after the international break.
The Hungarian has identified clean sheets as one of Villarreal’s main areas for improvement, even though he believes the team’s performances have started to move in the right direction.
“We need to improve our clean sheets. It’s one of the areas we’re working on, and it’s a priority.
“As a goalkeeper, it hurts not to achieve that. We need to be more solid. In the last two matches, we conceded, but we played better.
“We were a more consistent team. That’s what we want,” he explained, as per Mundo Deportivo.
Gulacsi wants first win at the Bernabeu
The trip to Madrid will be familiar territory for Gulacsi, who has already played twice at the Bernabeu during his time with RB Leipzig.
The goalkeeper has experienced both defeat and a draw in those visits and is now looking to finally leave the stadium with a victory.
“I’ve played there twice. We lost once and drew once with Leipzig. I’m looking for my first win. We’re hoping for good results.
“After the Bernabeu, we’ll have some very tough matches and we’ll also need to focus on the Champions League. We must succeed, but first and foremost we’re thinking about Real Madrid.
“We’re up against a great team. It’ll be very difficult. We’ll give it our all and aim for a great result,” he said.
Villarreal will therefore arrive knowing the scale of the challenge, but Gulacsi does not believe his team’s early results accurately reflect its performances.
Gulacsi impressed by Villarreal quality
The goalkeeper has been encouraged by what he has seen since joining Villarreal and believes the team has shown enough quality to expect better results.
“I was really impressed by the quality of the team. I’m in a good position to compare, as I’ve come from the third-best team in Germany and have now joined the third-best team in Spain.
“It’s a great team. I was impressed by the intensity and quality. There have been matches where we deserved more points.
“We’re improving and working to achieve that. The trend is positive and we must keep it up,” he concluded.
Real Madrid News
English legend backs Real Madrid star to become one of the all-time greats: ‘He’s got everything’
Jude Bellingham has spent the past fortnight as the most talked-about footballer in England, and the superlatives show no sign of slowing down.
A masterclass in the Nations League, a clutch of records and a second straight Player of the Year award has not gone unnoticed in English footballing media.
Now one of the English game’s most respected voices has added his name to the growing list of believers.
Lineker backs Bellingham
Asked whether Bellingham can go on to become one of the greatest players of all time, England legend Gary Lineker left no room for doubt.
“Yes, I’ve been saying it for a long time now. If he avoids serious injury or falls of the rails which he won’t I’m sure.
“He’s so good at football, he’s got everything. He’s a superstar and carries himself like a superstar,” he said (h/t Track Radio).
The verdict chimes comes in the midst of a wider chorus of acclaim in recent days. Roy Keane tipped him to become one of the greatest of all time after the Croatia rout, with Ian Wright and Micah Richards among others queuing up to praise him.
Backed by the numbers
The acclaim for Bellingham comes on the back of an extraordinary international break for Bellingham.
Against Croatia, Bellingham scored one and created three in the 7-0 win, becoming the first England player to record four goal involvements in a single game since David Platt in 1993.
He finished the window with one goal and four assists and was named UEFA’s Player of the Round.
That international excellence has carried over to the Bernabeu, where he has settled into a free number 10 role under Jose Mourinho and sits as the club’s joint-leading creator.
Bellingham was part of Real Madrid’s recent 1-0 win over Villarreal as well, and was unlucky not to register an assist when Vinicius Jr.’s goal was disallowed.
The Englishman will be looking to make an impact once again when Real Madrid take on AS Roma this Wednesday.
