Hi everyone.Today I'm writing from home, a few hours after our derby against City. Obviously, all of us were expecting something more from this game, both in football and in the score... Honestly, because we pushed more in the second half I think we were closer to the victory than City, but at the end it was one point for each team and both remain up there on the table.
There was a lot of intensity on the pitch, but it wasn't easy to find spaces. It was a very tactical game with not many plays inside the box. As always, thanks to the support of our crowd we tried until the end with passion, but we couldn't make a goal. So as the saying goes, if you can't win, at least don't lose. We hope you can celebrate a victory in the return game, you deserve it. In my opinion the team competed at a good level. Everybody knows that they have very good players but we barely conceded chances to them. It was a shame not being able to win, but we must be positive and keep going, we are still in the main positions on the table.
Last Wednesday we got one point from Moscow in the Champions League. Manchester United tries to win every single game, but in general we think this point is not bad considering that we were one goal down and that our Group B is really tight. CSKA showed that they are a good opponent, but we will have to beat them in our next game if we want to strengthen our chances to be in the next round.
This week we have again two games, starting with Middlesbrough in the Capital One Cup. They are playing in the Championship, but last season they were really close to be promoted to the Premier League and this year they're again up there. It's going to be a good rival for us in Old Trafford. I've never won this tournament; I hope we can make it this season..
And next Saturday we visit Crystal Palace. They have started the season high up on the table, despite losing their last game, and I'm sure they will try to defeat us to keep in the top positions. Nothing but a win is what we're aiming for.
In Spain, Real Madrid got a commendable victory over Celta, a team that did a good job and is having a sensational start this season. Meanwhile, Barcelona had to work hard to beat Eibar. My congratulations to Luis Suárez for scoring three goals and to Eibar for showing so much courage. And Valencia had a tough game in Madrid against Atlético. Being 2-0 down at half time in that stadium makes things even more difficult, and despite adding pressure after Alcácer's goal, they weren't able to tie the game. I also want to highlight Rayo Vallecano's win. I really enjoy watching their games and the way they start moving the ball from the defence, always with quality, verticality and well-organised. That results in a football style that is very attractive and enjoyable for any neutral fan.
Talking about the Rugby World Cup that is taking place in England, I wish good luck to New Zealand and Australia ahead of next Saturday's final. This is not a sport I follow much to be honest, but there's so much passion and respect for rugby in this country that I've been keeping an eye on the scores and the games since the tournament started.