Real players back embattled coach

The players of Real Madrid, ridiculed by the press after their elimination from the Spanish Cup by a third division club, accepted the blame for the defeat and defended under-fire coach Manuel Pellegrini.

“It was a hard blow, the team didn’t put on the display that we hoped for,” said Real’s iconic striker Raul.

Big-spending Real crashed out of the Spanish Cup on Tuesday night when they could only manage a 1-0 home victory over minnows Alcorcon, a team from the Madrid suburbs, who went through to the last 16 with a 4-1 aggregate score.

The team was booed by fans at the Bernabeu stadium, who called for Pellegrini’s resignation.

“We always have faith in the coach and his work,” said Raul. Real is “a team that is progressing, with a lot of new players who are perhaps taking a long time to adapt.”

“It is our fault, us the players, we must make ourselves responsible,” said goalkeeper Iker Casillas, who did not play on Tuesday.

Defender Sergio Ramos said “Pellegrini plays a good role in the group and takes decisions that are sometimes good and sometimes less good.”

Spanish sports newspapers mocked the “historic ridicule” of Real’s elimination which had left a “deep wound and an open crisis” within the club.

Spanish commentators said Pellegrini has failed to put together a coherent team with stars such as 94-million-euro signing Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka and Karim Benzema, all bought by chairman Florentino Perez in the pre-season.

Perez has so far remained silent over the elimination of the club, which has a budget of 400 million euros, by a team with barely one million.