Chronicle Editor
Santiago Solari’s future is likely to hinge on Real Madrid again winning the Champions League but two defeats by Barcelona in four days have brought old problems back to the surface.
After being knocked out of the Copa del Rey and effectively deemed irrelevant in the title race, a third loss in as many games could see Madrid’s season wiped out in a week.
“We have to react,” said defender Dani Carvajal. “It’s probably been one of the toughest weeks in my time here.”
Ajax deserved more from the 2-1 loss in Amsterdam that, in theory, puts their opponents firmly in charge ahead of the second leg today.
But three consecutive defeats at the Santiago Bernabeu for the first time in 15 years means Madrid will be feeling the heat.
Solari too, the coach that was handed a contract until 2021 when appointed only five months ago but who might not last the season should Ajax do the unthinkable and reach the quarter-finals.
Jose Mourinho’s criticism as a pundit for bEIN Sports on the latest Clasico will be seen as opportunistic but the reality is he is still well-regarded at Real. Unlike other potential successors, he is also available to start immediately.
Still, Solari will know Madrid have been here before.
Last season, Zinedine Zidane’s team crashed out earlier in the Copa del Rey and to Leganes, not Barcelona. They were adrift in La Liga too.
But victories in Europe over Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus blurred those failures while beating Liverpool in the final seemed to extinguish them almost completely.
Solari will surely pay the price if domestic disappointment is extended into the Champions League, where context could be significant -the stage, opponent and manner of defeat – but after four triumphs in five years, it is hard to imagine anything less than lifting the trophy would be deemed a success.
For Solari, that is a high bar set, and a reminder perhaps of why Madrid found so few elite coaches eager to follow Zidane last summer.
Real had finished 17 points behind Barcelona and then sold their best player.
In the years with Cristiano Ronaldo, Madrid’s goals scored tally at this stage in the league was 71, 62, 85, 64, 73, 75, 71, 67, and 62. This season it is 43.
And against Barcelona, the difference was precision in the final third, where Barca boasted Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Ousmane Dembele while Madrid had an out-of-form Gareth Bale, an inexperienced Vinicius Junior and Karim Benzema, who only scored five league goals last term.
Under Julen Lopetegui in October, Madrid went almost eight hours without scoring and the reaction to the latest defeat sounded familiar.
“We failed to finish, just like the other day,” said Solari. “When that happens, you cannot win the game. When you lack goals, you struggle,” said Ramos.
Solari certainly shoulders some of the blame for Bale’s dip, having consistently relegated him to the bench in recent weeks while offering only meek support in the face of heavy criticism in the Spanish press. “He tried, like the rest of the players,” Solari said on Saturday.
He could also perhaps do with the creativity of Isco, who came on as Madrid sought an equaliser against Barca but is unlikely to feel much loyalty to his coach, having not started a single league game during his tenure.
The question is whether Solari can now revive his marquee players and cojole the youngsters, many of whom have been the driving force of his team in recent months. In the Champions League, the pressure is on to deliver.
“We need the league for fitness and rhythm,” said Ramos.
“So we must continue working and keep winning games. We have another final in the Champions League on Tuesday and we will fight for it.” he added.
Meanwhile, Harry Kane insists Tottenham will shake off their Premier League collapse as the England star looks to fire his team into the Champions League quarterfinals against Borussia Dortmund today.
In the space of seven days, Tottenham’s hopes of winning the Premier League have been shattered by defeats at Burnley and Chelsea and Saturday’s north London derby draw against Arsenal.
It was just the latest Tottenham failure when the stakes have been at their highest since Mauricio Pochettino took charge five years ago.
Only a last-minute Hugo Lloris penalty save from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang prevented Arsenal inflicting Tottenham’s third successive loss.
But Kane is convinced Tottenham are capable of recovering from a painful week and he challenged his team to use their Champions League last-16 second leg in Dortmund as fuel to speed up their revival.
“Two disappointing results in a week, this was the perfect game, a north London derby to show passion and show fans we are ready to fight for the rest of the season,” said Kane, who scored their penalty equaliser against Arsenal.
“It’s a point, we wanted three but it stops the losing streak and we can focus on Dortmund and then Southampton. Over the last week we have put ourselves under pressure but we have done it in the past and every game is a big game.”
Tottenham have one foot in the last eight after a 3-0 first-leg win at Wembley.
Now they must finish the job against Dortmund to book their first Champions League quarterfinal appearance since 2011.
That would leave Tottenham within touching distance of their first European semifinal since winning the Uefa Cup in 1984.
Progressing in Europe’s elite club competition could be essential for Tottenham to convince Kane that they can provide him with the platform to win major honours.
Without a top trophy since the 2008 League Cup, Tottenham’s barren spell is reportedly weighing heavily on Kane, who was said to be “devastated and angry” following their 2-0 defeat at Chelsea last Wednesday.
Ironically, Tottenham’s form has dipped at the exact moment Kane returned from an ankle injury.
The 25-year-old is back ahead of schedule, prompting some to suggest he has rushed back too soon.
But Kane has scored in two of his three games over the last week, taking his goal tally for the season to 22.
To claim the 2018 World Cup top-scorer is an impediment to Tottenham in any way would be met with derision from Pochettino.
The Argentine is adamant Kane is one of the world’s best strikers and his Champions League record supports that belief.
Kane, who missed the Dortmund first leg, has 13 goals in 16 appearances in the competition.
Fixtures
(All at 22 00)
Today:
-Borussia Dortmund v Tottenham Hotspur
-Real Madrid v Ajax.
Tomorrow:
-FC Porto v Roma
-Paris Saint-Germain v Manchester United.
— AFP.
derick.khumalo