Counting on Robben

Straight after his first Champions League game with Lazio Roma, Arjen Robben went to talk to his new coach Bernd Schuster. The striker thought he had played a dreadful game and went to apologize. “I played the worst game of my career,” he apparently said. The Real Madrid coach listened, shrugged his shoulders and said: “I didn’t think it was that bad. I’ve been a player myself. If you don’t have any rhythm after an injury, the connection with the ball needs time to grow. Do not worry.”

Two days after that chat, Schuster started Robben again, at home in front of 100.000 spectators against Recreativo Huelva. Robben played a fine match.

Robben looks back at those eventful first weeks of this season, making his move from Chelsea to Madrid. “It is much to early to make comparison and to draw conclusions, but my first impression is that I have found the right spot to continue my career. Chelsea and Madrid are both top, but still there’s a difference. Chelsea is top since 4 years or so. They invested enormous amounts of money, but the status of top club still needs to be earned. Real is an institute. Everything oozes top here. The history, the stadium, the cups…but there’s also Real Madrid TV with many foreign departments. Every signing is taken past the nine European Cups and introduced to Alfredo di Stefano.”

Robben feels at ease. “I think they did well to not rush my debut. When I signed, I said I wanted to play the next Sunday. They paid a lot of money foor me and I wanted to show what I could do. But they said no, we know what you can do. Please, get match fit and settle in. That was a good move.”

Another diifference with Chelsea is the mentality of the coach. Mourinho is a defensive thinking coach. Schuster used to be a player who did everything on intuition and the urge to attack and score. “If the ball moves well in this team, it is a dream to play here,” said Robben, who was overawed with the stadium. “Five rings on top of eachother and almost every seat was filled. A collosal human wall. That was quite a kick!”

Last week Robben and his wife Bernadien found their house, in the outskirts of Real Madrid. They bought it off an architect. Funny how Wesley Sneijder travelled twelve times back and forth to Holland to arrange all sorts of things for his new home in Madrid with his dad. Arjen Robben, only 23 years old himself, bought the house with furniture and all from the architect. “We liked his style. We asked him the first time we were there what he wanted to part with. He said: all of it! So we took it all. We got some boxes coming in from London and that’s it.”

The former PSV and Groningen star hasn’t had time to say farewell to the fans and the people at Chelsea. “I am still in touch with the players, like Peter Cech and John Terry but I haven’t had a chance to say goodbye at a game or something. That would be great if that still could happen.”

After 29 caps for Oranje, Robben is back for the matches against Rumania and Slovenia. The two last opponents he played against in March. “I should have skipped the Slovenia game. That was when I already felt my knee injury. I haven’t played a whole match after that particular game.”

Before the WC2006, Van Basten said Robben and Kalou (if he could get the Dutch citizenship status) would be his wingers for Oranje. Now, with Ryan Babel playing for Liverpool, and Van Persie as the new leader of Arsenal, things have changed.

Robben: “Yeah, you know..for me it’s also wait and see what happens. The options up front are numerous. Ryan Babel plays left winger too, but he does play it differently that I do. But, I will have to believe in myself and give it my best. When I have the form of the day, I can be of value for any team. And I really want to show that in Oranje as well.”