|
Former Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon and ex-coach Bernd Schuster believe mismanagement by current club chief Florentino Perez is the reason the team go into Saturday's Clasico at Barcelona seemingly out of the La Liga title race. Madrid have struggled domestically this season, getting off to a poor start under then-coach Rafa Benitez, before being thrown out of the Copa del Rey for fielding an ineligible player, while they have been inconsistent under Zinedine Zidane -- their third coach in less than 12 months. Big-name players including Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale, Sergio Ramos and James Rodriguez have all had up and down campaigns, with Madrid's poor away form contributing to the club going to the Camp Nou in third place, 10 points behind leaders Barca. Calderon said in an interview with AS that Perez had to take the blame for a string of poor decisions, starting with firing Carlo Ancelotti last summer. "The coach who they supported was sacked," Calderon said. "They found themselves with another who arrived with his 'firing notice' on his forehead [Benitez]. Then they were brought a coach who was coming from the third division, whether he's named Zidane or not. I believe the players have shown they are well above the level of their president." In the 2006-07 season, with Calderon as president, Madrid overturned a six-point gap to win a La Liga title it appeared Barca had in their grasp. And the former Madrid chief still thinks a win on Saturday could keep the club's chances of another comeback alive. "It is a big gap [10 points], but there could be a title race," Calderon said. He added the players "have shown an extraordinary professionalism" despite the complications "thrown at them from the president's office." Calderon resigned in January 2009 having been accused of electoral fraud, with Perez returning unchallenged for a second term as president that summer. No charges were ever brought against Calderon. Schuster was Madrid coach from the summer of 2007 to December 2008, winning the Primera Division title in his first season, before being fired by Calderon after saying he felt his team had no chance in a Clasico at the Camp Nou. The German told AS that the current regime was too focused on hoarding attacking talent, with Barca and Atletico Madrid both now having a more balanced squad. "We all know a bit about this," Schuster said. "Leaving aside personal preferences, if you take the Madrid squad, draw a line and divide it in two, you know that it is not balanced and at the top you pay for that because your biggest rivals are doing things better. Your rivals and even Atletico are doing things better. "They change one piece for another in the same position, something that Madrid don't do and to a certain extent they're paying for it." Schuster said it would be interesting to see how Barca and Madrid fare on Saturday ahead of their upcoming Champions League quarterfinals, in which the Catalans face Atletico and Los Blancos play Wolfsburg. "It will give some indication about what's to come, in the Champions League," he said. "Barca's draw is more complicated than Madrid's." It will be difficult to predict how Madrid's attackers Ronaldo and Bale will play on Saturday, Schuster said, although he feels the team's big names do appear happier under Zidane. "I'm not sure how they'll perform," he said. "I see so many highs and lows that I don't know what to expect. After the international break they've barely trained together. They appear to be playing better but we'll see. "One player who does seem happier is Cristiano. Before he didn't look happy. Cristiano needs to be comfortable and happy and to know he's the best. At the moment the Barcelona front three are more convincing. They're amazing to watch." Schuster said he does not feel Zidane lacks the experience to succeed in what is the Frenchman's first senior management role. "[Zidane] will be able to take the experience he gained as a player into the dugout," Schuster said. "We know it's not just one more game, and that it's hugely important to the fans. Zidane is no novice in that sense."
|
