Robben a lone fire against Valencia

Arjan Plantinga
Monday 22 December 2008

Arjen Robben prepared the one goal that helped Real Madrid beat Valencia 1-0 on Saturday, but had his team mates been a bit sharper he could have gotten two or three assists to his name.

The Dutch winger was back to his best form on Saturday after he had to sit out a one game suspension last week.

The former PSV and Chelsea striker said that he and the team are now benefiting from the new regime of Juande Ramos who took over from Bernd Schuster two weeks ago.

"This team has a lot of quality and we need to show it," Robben told the sports daily Marca before the match.

"It's difficult to compare the systems, but the training on Tuesday was the hardest I have done since I came here. I liked it because we had to work to improve many things. Juande is talking to all of us. I like that," Robben said.

Just how much he liked it was clear after 3 minutes when he whirled around two Valencia defenders and set up a perfect ball for Gonzalo Higuaín, who beat the Valencia keeper with an unstoppable shot into the top corner.

Robben kept on tormenting his marker Asier Del Horno on the right wing but - although too selfish at times - no matter what crosses he would put in, his team mates were sure to squander the greatest opportunities.

The chances missed illustrated just how badly a man like Ruud van Nistelrooy is missed at Madrid as you can't see him missing these sitters, and it makes the hasty transfer of Klaas-Jan Huntelaar to the Spanish capital all the more understandable.

Coach Ramos agreed that one goal from so many chances did not reflect the contest, but he praised Robben.

"His characteristics allow him to enjoy himself with the ball more than the rest," Ramos said.

"We must give him liberty in order to enjoy his style."

Liberty never knowingly entered the vocabulary of the previous coach, Bernd Schuster.