Karanka: Kaka deserves to be fit

Assistant coach Aitor Karanka said it was important for Real Madrid to have Brazilian playmaker Kaka fit and firing this season.
Kaka has been well below his best after struggling with a series of injuries in the last two years, but the Brazilian showed signs he is on his way back to his best by scoring one goal and setting up another in Real’s 3-0 win over Ajax in the Champions League on Tuesday.
Karanka – standing in for suspended manager Jose Mourinho – said he hoped that as Kaka’s fitness returns, so too will his form.


“Kaka has, frankly, had a rough time. He is a quality player and it is very important for us to see him happy and enjoying himself because it means he will be an essential player on this team,” Karanka said.
“He is the first one who deserves to be fit. The rest of us simply have to stand by him and support him.”


The victory against Ajax means Real maintained their 100 percent record in the Champions League this season, and continued their resurgence after consecutive winless games in La Liga prior to Saturday’s 6-2 thumping of Rayo Vallecano.
“Getting three more points at home is always important in the Champions League,” Karanka said.
“After winning in Zagreb, having six points and leading the group is important. Six goals on Saturday and three today is phenomenal for team morale. With the players that we have, we have shown we are lethal on the counter-attack.”
“To be honest, after our third goal, we gave away more possession to Ajax, but we still didn’t have too many moments of danger to deal with.”


Ajax boss Frank de Boer said his side had been given a ‘lesson’ by Real, who counter-attacked with devastating effect.
“We have shown some very good aspects of our game tonight. We started well and could have taken the lead early on,” de Boer said.
“After that we got taught a lesson in efficient counter-attacking football. Sometimes we are a bit naive.”


“I had already warned my team that Madrid were dangerous on the break and you have to be smarter than we were for the second goal. We deserved to score tonight. We played well in parts; that should give us confidence for the future.”