Sergio Ramos hit back at criticism from Barca defender Pique after Real Madrid beat Barcelona to get back to the top of the table.
Real won the game 2-0 thanks to goals from Vinicius Junior and Mariano – but Pique said their first-half display represented “the worst Madrid” he has ever faced.
In response, Real Madrid skipper Ramos said he would gladly play the same way in every Clasico game if it meant beating his team’s fierce rivals.
“Everyone’s opinion is respectable,” he told reporters, via Spanish publication AS. “I sign up to win all Clasicos by making a first half as bad as he says.
“The approach was different. In the first half, we left the ball and in the second we decided to go. They were not so fresh and we started to generate chances.”
The victory for Zinedine Zidane’s team meant they went ahead of the Catalans by a single point with 12 matches each to go.
“Madrid in the first half was the worst Madrid I’ve faced at the Bernabeu,” Pique told reporters. “We missed a chance to hurt them.
“We have to play better than in the second half, though. We lost balls and they grew in confidence.
“The feeling they [Madrid] transmitted was the worst, and I don’t say it as a criticism.
“We all have problems in our clubs. But I have the feeling that it’s an important missed opportunity.
“I say we lost the opportunity to hit the table. We had full control of the game. In the second half, we let them grow based on our losses and they scored a goal, and in the end the second one.
“If we had taken advantage of several chances, we would have left with an advantage on the scoreboard.”
