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October 23, 2018

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Coach defiant as pressure mounts at reeling Real

REAL Madrid coach Julen Lopetegui said yesterday he would fight to turn the team’s performance around as pressure mounted on him following a series of poor results that has sent the team down to seventh place in La Liga.

Former national coach Lopetegui has been at the Real helm for nine La Liga games, only four of which ended in victory for the club, and local media have reported rumors about his likely dismissal following Saturday’s 1-2 defeat at home to Levante.

A defiant Lopetegui, however, brushed off the reports and said there was still time to reverse the team’s fortunes. “If you’re wanting to see a wounded coach, don’t look over here,” he told a news conference ahead of Real’s UEFA Champions League tie with Viktoria Plzen today.

“We’re going to fight to turn this situation around. We know it’s not the best but we’ve got time in which we can turn it round and we’ll fight, starting with tomorrow’s game,” said Lopetegui, 52, who caused controversy for accepting the Real job on the eve of the World Cup and was fired by the Spanish FA.

Tension over the team’s showing is also mounting on the players, and tempers flared at their Valdebebas training ground as captain Sergio Ramos reacted angrily to being hit on the nose from a ball by youngster Sergio Reguilon during training.

Ramos blasted a ball at the 21-year-old and had to be calmed down by Luka Modric before resuming the session.

Real is without a win in its last five games in all competitions, and its defeat to CSKA Moscow earlier this month means that it sits second in Group G in the UCL, behind the Russians and level on points with third-placed AS Roma.

It may get some consolation from the end of a goal drought during Saturday’s defeat, having set an unwanted club record of 465 minutes without scoring, something Lopetegui hopes to fix ahead of this weekend’s Clasico fixture away to Barcelona.

“There’s a direct correlation with goals — at both ends. It’s what decides the games, even if you’ve been the better side. We need to be more efficient in that sense, but this will come with good play,” he said.

Meanwhile, Jose Mourinho has dismissed speculation linking him with a return to Real, saying he wants to stay on as Manchester United manager beyond his current contract.

Spanish media have reported that Mourinho is favorite for the job if Lopetegui is sacked.

Mourinho’s United contract ends in 2020 and the club has the option to extend it for another year, but the Portuguese is under pressure himself with United 10th in the English Premier League after nine games.

“My future is here,” Mourinho told a news conference yesterday ahead of today’s UCL meeting with Juventus. “I have a contract and until the final days of my contract I only think about Manchester United.

“I would like to stay after my contract runs out as well.”

He also confirmed that United would be without six players for today’s match at Old Trafford, with Alexis Sanchez, Marouane Fellaini, Jesse Lingard, Diogo Dalot, Scott McTominay and Phil Jones all ruled out.




 

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