Real Madrid coach mulls over final squad

Real Madrid still has still not determined what its final squad and its starting 11 will be for the upcoming season, new coach Manuel Pellegrini said Saturday.

The Spanish giants spent over 200 million euros on new players in the pre-season, including Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Kaka, and earlier this month Pellegrini said he hoped to have the final squad ironed out by July 27 when all of the club’s internationals returned from holidays.

“I said that, but I added that it was important not to make mistakes, that we should make the right decisions. We’ll wait longer if we must,” the Chilean coach told a news conference ahead of Real’s friendly at home Sunday against Saudi Arabian side Al-Ittihad.

“I wish the squad was tighter by now, but it isn’t a big deal. We train normally and there is a good atmosphere in the team. Every player tries to do his best. Our duty is to do the same job with every footballer we have and we’ll keep on doing so,” he added.

Real’s spending spree has left it with an overcrowded dressing room as the club has been less successful at offloading players than it has been at recruiting new ones.

Pellegrini repeated Real’s desire to sell its Dutch striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, who has been linked with a move to Stuttgart and more recently with Tottenham.

“I’ve spoken to every player and Huntelaar knows what I want. We have many strikers on the team and they can’t all stay. Everybody knows how good he is. We have an excess of strikers right now and he knows there is no place for him,” he said.

Argentine defender Gabriel Heinze is also on the “for sale” list, but the size of his wage packet is proving an obstacle. Marseille were interested in the player but cooled off when confronted with a 4.2 million euro price tag.

Pellegrini included Ronaldo and Benzema in his 20-man squad for the match on Sunday against Al-Ittihad.

If Ronaldo is sent on the pitch it will be the first time that he plays for Real at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium since his record-setting transfer from Manchester United last month.

“We haven’t started to try out a defined starting 11 yet. Ronaldo will sometimes play down the wing and will sometimes be positioned as a striker. He is comfortable anywhere in attack,” said Pellegrini.

“These are friendly games in which we aren’t looking for a starting lineup,” he added.

Ronaldo made his debut for Real last week as they eked out a 1-0 victory over Shamrock Rovers in Ireland. Benzema scored the winner.

The 24-year-old Portuguese winger was taken off at half-time having failed to sparkle against some muscular defending.