[專訪] Bridge of highs for Makelele
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/world_football/3320555.stm
By Chris Dennis
BBC Sport
It is only three months since Claude Makelele moved from Real Madrid to
Chelsea for ￡16.6 m to become a key member of the new dynasty at Stamford
Bridge.
Makelele's transfer from Madrid was made possible by the injection of
cash following Russian Roman Abramovich's takeover at the club.
And although the Premiership has taken Makelele by surprise in certain
respects, he is quick to acknowledge the quality of the football.
"I think the Premiership is one of the three best leagues in the world,
along with Spain and Italy," said the 30-year-old.
"I've been surprised by the commitment of the players and the high tempo
of the game for 85 of the 90 minutes. In terms of commitment and aggression,
the Premiership is very strong.
"There are certain tackles that in other leagues the referee would blow
for, but here they let play go on. That's one of the things that has surprised
me, but overall I think I've got used to the Premiership pretty quickly".
The Frenchman is also used to playing in a team of top international
players.
He may have left behind the likes of Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo and Raul,
but he's now surrounded by Marcel Desailly, Emmanuel Petit and Hernan Crespo.
So how does Chelsea compare with Real?
"There's no comparison really. At the end of the day, Real Madrid is Real
Madrid - you must not forget that," said Makelele.
"Here I'm surrounded by some pretty good players, but the level is very
different to that at Real. After all, Real have some Golden Boot winners, very
talented players.
"Here there are some extremely good players who will go on to become big
names on the world stage, but you can't really compare the two - they're quite
different.
"But I think Chelsea are now starting to show it can play attractive f
ootball and stand up and be counted. Let's say that I wouldn't have left Real
for just any club."
So far, so good for Makelele on the pitch, then. But having spent the last
few years in France and Spain, how is he been settling in to life in London?
"It's completely the opposite of living in Spain. I've had a huge number
of problems adapting to the place itself and the weather - it's been really d
ifficult," he said.
"Most players need two, three - maybe six months to settle down. But in
terms of playing I had to be up and running right from the very first day.
"But I'm ambitious, patient and keen to watch and learn. I love my job and
my love of football is such that I don't really think about these obstacles.
Of course it really helps having French players here already, especially
Manu (Petit), William (Gallas) and Marcel (Desailly). When you get to work in
the morning, you know there'll be people there who you can talk to, and that's
very important".
Having so many French players so close, with Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira
and Robert Pires up the road at Arsenal, has clearly been a benefit.
With France and England having been drawn in the same group for Euro 2004
, Makelele will have plenty of chance to gauge himself against his team-mates
- French and English - over the next few months.
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