Toni Kroos: "We won't ever give up"

Despite setting up Karim Benzema's equalising goal, Toni Kroos and Real Madrid had a disappointing evening against Betis Sevilla, drawing 1-1 and slipping further behind Barcelona in the title race. In an interview after the game, the World Cup winner discusses Real’s chances, and the changes new manager Zinédine Zidane has made since taking over.

Question: Mr. Kroos, Real Madrid were behind for a long period against Betis Sevilla but managed to secure a 1-1 draw. Were you pleased with the end, or did the disappointment outweigh the relief?

Toni Kroos: Certainly yes. We didn’t start well and found ourselves behind after a wonder goal. We played a lot better in the second half, but were unfortunately only able to score one goal, which was too little.

Question: Which you set up very well...

Kroos: Yes, it was a nice passage of play.

Question: James Rodriguez was unfortunately offside though.

Kroos: I would say it’s only unfortunate if the referee disallows the goal (laughs). If it was offside, then in a way that’s only fair as we weren’t given a penalty in the first half.

Question: Real are now four points behind Barcelona, who also have a game in hand. What do you think your chances are of winning the title?

Kroos: We’re not in an ideal situation at the moment. We need to just keep going, and continue as we have been doing in the last three matches. We have to win as many games as possible, and then see what happens.

Question: So you won’t ever give up?

Kroos: We won’t ever give up - to do so would be stupid. We still have to play Barca, and they may well end up dropping points elsewhere. But like I said, the current situation is not ideal.

Question: You have touched upon good performances in your last three games. Has Zidane got the team back on the right track?

Kroos: If you look at our performances then you could say so yes. There’s a real difference in how we’ve been playing. But we know that we still have plenty to improve.