Ramos rejects claims of bad Real Madrid attitude

Sergio Ramos has rejected the suggestion that Real Madrid were punished for a poor attitude in their 2-1 defeat to Valencia on Wednesday.

Goal from Simone Zaza and Fabian Orellana in the first nine minutes were enough to give the home side all three points at Mestalla, despite Cristiano Ronaldo having halved the deficit shortly before the interval.

It was the first time in nearly 14 years that Madrid conceded twice in the first 10 minutes of a league game, while they managed only one shot on target in the second half despite enjoying nearly 72 per cent of the possession.

But Ramos has hit out at the idea that Madrid did not have the right mindset, blaming instead some simple errors on the ball that led to the two Valencia goals.

“It was a high-intensity game. We wanted to take at least a point. It was a really good game in hand to increase the gap in the table,” he said.

“Two mistakes at the start penalised us. The team went out to play the game we wanted to from the first minute. Our attacking play sometimes is very risky and we lost the ball twice and conceded a goal each time.

“For me, there was no lack of attitude at any moment. We have to turn the page and learn from those mistakes. LaLiga is very long and a lot of things can happen.”

2 – El Real Madrid have conceded two goals in the first 10 minutes of a La Liga game for the first time since 2003 vs Sevilla. Siesta.

— OptaJose (@OptaJose) February 22, 2017

The defeat – Madrid’s third in 2017 – means they remain just a point above Barca at the top of the table ahead of a difficult trip to Villarreal on Sunday, though they do have a game in hand.

Zinedine Zidane’s side have now lost more matches this year than they did throughout 2016 and Ramos has urged his team-mates to put their success of last year firmly behind them.

“We had very good numbers last year but we can’t live in the past. You have to learn from mistakes,” he said.

“We’re relaxed. It’s still in our hands. We’re in a privileged position and we have to know how to take advantage of it.”

Valencia boss Voro hopes his side take confidence into the rest of the season after only a second league win over Madrid in 15 attempts.

“Not only did we get the goals, but we had another very clear chance and a shot from Dani Parejo that the keeper saved really well,” he told beIN Sports.

“It’s true that Madrid dominated in the second half but we managed to hold out.

“You don’t beat Madrid every day. I congratulate the players for their effort. We have to turn Mestalla into a difficult place for teams to come. This will give us a lot of confidence for the coming games.”