Another coach for ragged Real?

2005-12-19 09:48

Madrid - The odds on Juan Ramon Lopez Caro finishing the season as coach of Real Madrid will have lengthened considerably after the Spanish giant's tepid 1-1 draw against Osasuna on Sunday.

Lopez Caro, formerly at the helm of the Real Madrid reserve team that plays in the Spanish second division, was promoted after the sacking of Wanderley Luxemburgo but has done little to impress in his three games in charge.

"There is much to improve," admitted Lopez Caro after Real's latest humiliation in a season of suffering.

"My responsibility is clear, to make this team to get better day by day to get them to play to their limit.

"We were not very fluid in the way we played and our finishing in the final metres (in front of goal) was poor, but the way we got there was good," he added.

One of the few Real players who came away with any credit was England captain David Beckham, who made a reasonable return to his good form that he showed at the start of the season.

A trademark free kick went skimming past the post in the first half, the closest Real came to scoring in the first 45 minutes, although a later one was woefully off-target and blasted high into the night sky above Madrid.

Beckham also provided a series of good crosses from the right wing only for his teammates to squander the chances he created.

"Osasuna had a good game. They were disciplined and worked hard as a unit even though they had few chances of going forward and we had to keep awake," reflected Lopez Caro.

His team failed to beat a side that had been reduced to 10 men after just 16 minutes, following the dismissal of Osasuna defender Francisco Punal after wrestling Real's Roberto Carlos to the ground.

"I can say I was satisfied with today. The players showed their hunger and their ability although they can still do better," added the under-fire Real coach.

However, few others in Real's historic Santiago Bernabeu stadium seemed to agree with him.

In Lopez Caro's first home game, the team was whistled off the pitch.

Spanish media pundits on Sunday wasted little time in calling for Real president Florentino Perez to appoint his third coach of the season, and his sixth in the last two years.

Real remain third in the Spanish first division but are now eight points adrift of the league leaders and their bitter rivals Barcelona, and look ever more likely to go without a major trophy for their third successive season.

The question now is, who will come to the Spanish capital and accept the poisoned chalice of being the Real Madrid coach if Lopez Caro is forced to return to his former role.

Most candidates mentioned in the media before Luxemburgo was axed, such as Juventus' Fabio Capello or England coach Sven Goran Eriksson are not available until next summer.

- AFP