'I love Isco and I want him to stay here for life'

"We're a team that needs a win and we want to put in a good performance. Furthermore, we know that we are going to be facing a strong team," Zidane explained ahead of the visit of Sociedad.

Meanwhile, the Frenchman insisted that he was not interested in knowing where the Copa del Rey final will be held, saying: "The club will make its decision, I'm just focused on tomorrow's game, nothing else is of interest to me.!

"I don't know if it is a lack of respect or something like that, what I'm interested in is working hard, I can't control what people say. We know what we are. Have things not turned out the way we had hoped? Yes, sometimes, but at the end of the day we know what we are, that when there are difficult moments you have to tough it out, but always working hard and thinking positively. We know our strengths and things can turn around quickly in football," 'Zizou' rpelied when being asked about a supposed lack of respect.

Speaking about the PSG game, Zidane said: "I don't think anything, what I know is that we're going to to give it our all. No one knows what will happen on Wednesday, but we are eager to do well, nothing more. There is absolutely no guarantees, but first we are focused on tomorrow's game."

"Putting your foot in is a good way of putting it. What interests me is playing football and that my players do so, when we don't have the ball, yes,  but in the good sense of the word, defending, fighting...," Zidane explained.

"They told me a while back that they weren't going to sign anyone. I trust in my team and I always will. When I start something, I will go to the ends of the earth to finish it. I love Isco and I want him to stay here for life, that isn't going to change. She's a very good player and he has shown it. It's a lie that I want him to leave," the Real boss insisted about the rumours that he was set to replace the playmaker.

"Concistency has been our problem, but bad things can happen during the season. I say that I have a strong team and out challenge, still, is what we're going to try to do. I don't know how the season will end, but I'm convinced that we can do great things," Zidane enthused.

"We're a squad of 25, everyone is important. The team is the most important thing. Maybe Isco isn't going to play every game but I can count on him. I'm counting on all of them. Today it's Isco, tomorrow you will ask me about Asensio, Ceballos or those who play less...," he added.

"It's a combination of everything, there are a lot of things that have to come together to win, just like when things aren't going great. The important things is to remain cal. We can turn things around and we are capabale of doing so," he explained about the club's lack of consistency.

The lack of form of Karim Benzema was also touched on: "He's under pressure like everyone else, we're all in the same boat, we all know that we need to offer more, especially him."

Zidane was asked whether the Sociedad clash would prove a litmus test for the PSG game and responded by saying: "It will be an important league game for us. There are three points at stake and we wank to take them home. Then we'll talks about Wednesday and the Champions League."

"We know the reality of the situation but we're not worried, quite the opposite, they're games that players love to play in," Zidane said of the PSG match.

"We want our fans to be on our side and we believe that they will respond nomatter what. I talk to you about the positives, you are there to talk about the negatives. We want to show people that we don't do everything badly," he continued.

"Nacho has only missed one game, he's the player that has featured most. He's ready, we know Dani Carvajal can't play. I'll keep my thoughts on UEFA's decision to myself because they won't change anything," he added.

Finally, Zidane lavished praise on Cristiano Ronaldo, saying: "He's an exceptional footballer and whilst he hasn't been able to score many he's there in the big moments. Those types of players always turn up on the big occasions."