Markel
Bergara (Elgoibar, 34 years old) knows Real and Getafe perfectly. The first is the club of his life and the second, the team he has played with since the summer of 2017 when, five months ago, he had to announce his retirement due to injuries. Expect a highly contested duel.
Real and Getafe came to a halt, but since the return they have not managed to win. How are you seeing them?
It's a shame. After the dynamic in which they were both are having a hard time recovering that level of football, but they have enough potential and I am convinced that they can achieve it.
Have you followed the Real matches? What happens to the team?
I've seen the games. There is the difficult part of soccer, many times you don't know how to say why these situations. You're talking about the same players and it's hard to know why things don't go as well as they did three months ago. But there is quality and I think it will be somewhat circumstantial.
He is having trouble opening games against rivals who stop his rhythm and close spaces. Is something similar waiting for you in Getafe?
Well, I do not consider that Getafe is a team to get behind. He always pushes too high, he needs to have his defensive line too far ahead. It will be a highly contested match.
Do you think that Real could change their style to change the streak?
That is already something of Imanol and the coaching staff. They will be analyzing the rival, they will have their point of view and they will decide. But I think that each one, in some nuances, will play in his own style.
The Real one seems to need that some party is put to him of face.
In the end they are all dynamic. The psychological, the mental, influences so much … When things are going for you, they tend to keep going much more, and vice versa, it costs you a world.
What happens to Getafe?
It is complicated, because they are also the same to whom everything went very well. I have seen all the games because I feel part of the squad, and in this case I am convinced that the work they are doing is very good. By the time they hit the streak I'm sure things will work out for them.
What is your main danger?
They have a very good squad, great players. It will be a very difficult match for both of us.
Maksomovic and Arambarri are your two stilettos in a machine room that you know well.
It is a brutal midfield. Getafe have very good pivots. Both the ones you name, which are the ones that play the most minutes, and the rest give a great performance. Perhaps the profile is somewhat different from Real's but the level is very high.
What did you think of the premiere of Zubimendi at 'eleven'?
I loved it. The tranquility with which he played when he was so young and making his debut as a starter … It is unusual to see a rookie with that personality and that also speaks highly of the work being done in Zubieta. I am very happy, I know that at Sanse I was having a great year and whenever a player leaves the academy it is a source of pride. In the Real, both in the first squad and the teams below there is a brutal list of pivots. I have played in that position I pay a lot of attention and the Real is plenty there.
Is it difficult for you, as a television viewer, to get into games with empty stands?
Yes, personally it is costing me, like everyone else. Also since there are games so often, it is not like when you are waiting for the weekend to arrive. We are all getting a little strange, but better so than without football.
Do you think that the footballer also has trouble getting into the game?
Yes, it changes a lot. The public factor is essential. We have been lucky to always play with the public and for good and bad, at home or away, there is a big difference. Hence the results vary so much at home and abroad. It must be very strange.
Will we see Real in Europe?
I wish that both Real and Getafe succeed. I still feel part of Getafe this year, I left him due to a very extraordinary circumstance and I should still be a footballer for the squad. I feel very involved with the team and I have always been with Real too, so I hope that both achieve their goals.