Mathijsen’s statements:
(A great defensive moment). “We’re going through a good patch, and we’re confident. It was a shame not to win against Zaragoza, we’ve got to improve but we’ve got a good feeling at the moment. Four games without conceding a goal speaks volumes about our defence. It’s thanks to the whole team, not only the defenders and goalkeeper. We’ve got to improve in attack, and the attack starts with defence. In Seville we had a few problems, but we watched the video back and I think we’ve sorted them out in the subsequent games. In a team where’s as many new players are there are in this, it’s important to work on defence as it all starts form there. It’s great to have ‘Micho’ – Demichelis and Toulalan as teammates; the three of us form a good trio.”
(Adaptation). “I lived for five years in Germay and we didn’t have this sun, that’s thing I’ve noticed the most. In regards to the competition, the way of playing is very similar to that of Holland: playing football, and not being as physical as they are in Germany.”
(Expectations). “I didn’t have any special expectations about winning matches consecutively or about not conceding goals in four games, I only think about wining the next match. I hope that we win this game against Getafe. Here the fans go wild, more than in Holland, the people are patient and they’re supporting us.”
(Van Nistelrooy). “Ruud is a forward and he likes to score. He had a good chance in Zaragoza and he’ll shortly be back to scoring. The centres must give the ball more to the forwards who’ll then be able to create more opportunities.”
(Speaking Spanish). “For me it’s a totally different language to Dutch or German, but I’m going to try and take Spanish lesson as soon as possible and I already understand a little bit of Spanish. It’s still difficult for me to speak, but I understand some words.”
