Zinedine Zidane has encouraged Luka Modric to shoot more after the Croatian midfielder scored a stunning 25-yard goal to secure a 2-1 victory over Granada on Sunday that kept them within four points of the league leaders Barcelona.
“[Modric] scored a golazo, so I celebrated that, and the three points,” Zidane said. “I am happy for him, as he has to shoot more. He should shoot more. He can get forward more, he can also play as a No10. He showed today he has a phenomenal shot.”
Zidane also expressed satisfaction with the way his players ground out a win despite a performance that was far from sparkling. “I am leaving happy with effort the players put in,” he said. “Football is like that, we will not win games easily. That does not exist in football. We fought until the end, and are happy with that. I am proud of what the team did.
“In attack we should score more goals,” Zidane said. “We had many opportunities, but we know at this level we must take them. If you want to be a bit more relaxed in the game, when you get a chance you must take it. We must improve in everything, and we will.”
Both the leaders, Barcelona, and second-placed Atlético Madrid won at the weekend to keep the pressure on Real Madrid but Zidane believes his squad has the right mentality to fight for the title in the run-in.
“We are ready, and we know all games will be difficult,” he said. “We are ready for that – and we have showed it today over the 90 minutes. You will have difficulties in games, we know that can happen away from home.”
