Back to drawing board for Real Madrid

Spanish flops Real Madrid face a bruising summer of change as they seek to build a team capable of playing great football and competing against Europe’s elite.

Real have won the European Cup a record nine times but they have been off the pace in recent years, failing to get past the quarter-finals of the competition since 2004.

After back-to-back league titles they are now set to lose the crown to Barcelona, who are just one point from being crowned champions, and it is time for a rethink at Real.

The presidential elections are scheduled to take place on June 14 and if former president Florentino Perez is elected a summer spending spree is expected.

The Dutch trio of Roysten Drenthe, Rafael van der Vaart and Wesley Sneijder have all failed to settle and look likely to be first through the exit door.

Fabio Cannavaro is set to return to Italy with Juventus and with captain Raul, 31, and Ruud van Nistelrooy, 32, nearing the end of their careers, fresh faces are desperately needed.

Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka, Cesc Fabregas, Xabi Alonso, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, David Silva and David Villa have all been linked with big-money moves.

Real goalkeeper Iker Casillas believes the club would be better off signing Spanish players.

“I know Cesc (Fabrgeas) and that is why I would prefer him over Kaka and it is the same with (David) Villa and Cristiano (Ronaldo),” Casillas told television channel Telemadrid.

Real legend Zinedine Zidane advised his old club to follow the Barcelona blueprint of bringing promising players through the youth system as Real once did with the likes of Casillas, Raul and Guti.

“Real Madrid should abandon the idea of signing foreign players and look at Barca, their footballing culture as well as their cantera (youth system),” Zidane told Canal Plus.

“They have players like Xavi and Andres Iniesta who can all do things with the ball and you are incapable of stopping them – even on PlayStation.

“Madrid need to rediscover this identity with a necessary clear-out and they need to do it urgently.”

While Barcelona have recently unearthed gems like Lionel Messi, Bojan Krkic and Sergi Busquets the production line appears to have grind to a halt at Madrid.

Alvaro Negredo, 23, is one player Real let go to Almeria although they have a buyback option and may use it with Negredo scoring 19 goals this season.

“If I’m going to be the fifth striker at Madrid, the option of returning will be ruled out,” explained Negredo.

“I have to think long and hard because my future depends on this. What I want to do now is to play, to have minutes.”

It is unclear whether current coach Juande Ramos, who only had a six-month contract, will be the one to make such decisions or whether the club will opt for another coach with AC Milan boss Carlos Ancelotti one name mentioned.

Ramos did well to get Real back in the title race with an 18-game unbeaten run but he and his team came up short in the big games as they lost twice to Barcelona (2-0 and 6-2) and Liverpool (1-0 and 4-0) in the league and Champions League respectively.

On Saturday they were well beaten 3-0 by Valencia as Real waved the white flag and Ramos possibly did as well.