Real Madrid buries an era at Highbury

MADRID, March 9 (Reuters) - Real Madrid's Champions League defeat by Arsenal has ended their 'Galactico' era, with the club facing the prospect of a third successive season without a major trophy.

Not since 1954, when the Real ended a seven-year run without silverware, has the club suffered such a poor spell.

Former club president Florentino Perez has already abandoned ship to avoid watching his grandiose project sink. The knives are now out for the players, coach and remaining directors deemed responsible for the failure.

'Madrid buries an era at Highbury,' was El Pais's verdict on the Arsenal defeat, while sports daily AS commented that it was 'The end of the galaxy'.

Marca called for immediate elections to choose a new president, saying that Perez's chosen successor Fernando Martin could no longer continue in his post, while El Mundo said that the defeat would precipitate a revolution at the club.

Coach Juan Ramon Lopez Caro was blamed for his decision to field the old guard of Ronaldo, Raul and Zinedine Zidane against Arsenal instead of the new signings the club had made this season.

Ronaldo was slammed for his lack of spark and fitness, David Beckham was criticised for his failure to perform on his first return to England in a Real Madrid shirt, while Raul came under fire for an anonymous performance against the Londoners.

There was more criticism for Ronaldo and Zidane for their failure to heed Raul's request and thank the Real Madrid fans who had travelled to support their team at Highbury.

The decision of the two heavyweights to ignore the captain's wishes was seen as symptomatic of rifts within the squad.

Eliminated from the Champions League, out of the King's Cup and 10 points adrift of Barcelona in the Primera Liga, Real are now likely to undergo a root-and-branch reconstruction.

'We've suffered two very heavy blows in the Cup and the Champions League,' keeper Iker Casillas told reporters. 'Now we have to be realistic and make sure we assure ourselves of second place in the league.

'Now is the time to remain united and at the end of the season the decisions will be made as to what happens with the team.'

Whether elections are held or not, a 'Galactico' clear-out looks inevitable.

Ronaldo has already made clear he wants to leave, Zidane is expected to retire after the World Cup and Roberto Carlos is likely to come under pressure to move on.

Less high-profile players such as Ivan Helguera and Michel Salgado are also reported to be on the departure list.

I thought they were too critical on Zidane and Raul. Zidane was working hard and had nothing ahead of him to feed from the midfield, where we dominated throughout. We were all over Zizou and Ronaldo wasn't coming into affect up front whilst the Madrid wingers were poor.

Is the 5th time I read it's the end of an era... 5 times after 5 different matches!! We already know it is the end! The media sometimes is a bit annoying.
But thanks for the article J-Axe.

Yea, I'm not up-to-date with the Spanish media. This is a very recent article, so I thought it'd be relevant.

Do you think the clear-out will be that drastic?

Actually, I don't know... Some months ago I was the first fan of Ronaldo, and now he's disappointing me a lot (not because he's not scoring, but because of his attitude). Other players, like Helguera or Baptista are letting me down too. But I don't know if drastic decisions are gonna be taken. I'm a bit confused with Real Madrid, I don't know what would be the best decision, and the media (the spanish at least) is not helping a lot, the critize everything.

I think it'd be a little bit dramatic to have a mass clear out, to say the least. There are some excellent players in the squad who are capable of winning trophies. Some aging players need replaced, but the likes of Robinho, Cassano, Cicinho etc. are players who will be important next season. When Zizou retires, you will need a big player to fill his shoes. Maybe Ballack will be there next season.

I think something is affecting Ronaldo off field. He used to be very lethal, but nowadays something is not going right. Maybe he is not happy.
Raul, can you give us updates on what's going wrong on Ronaldo's private life?
I was surprised that Robinho didnt start the game, and Raul being replaced instead of Ronaldo. I see Robinho as a post Zidane. With Guti and Raul in attack, Real only needs a good center back and a defensive midfielder. Ballack would be a good choice, but the only problem is that he is already a star. For reforms, Real needs to throw the habit of signing stars.

I agree with you, Afrinux.
And well, I can't say a lot about Ronaldo's personal life (if you mean his love life, he's changing the girlfirend so frecuently, lol). He said that he isn't feeling appreciated by the supporters, and that is what supporters don't like to hear. The only thing that could avoid the exit of Ronaldo would be if he started to score again as he used to do, but this seems a bit difficult.

And about Robinho being the next Zidane... that's the only thing I disagree with you. Robinho is very skillfull, but he has no body, he's so weak, while Zidane is a strong and imponent player. And about Ballack... I don't know if would fit in Real Madrid, He's a good player, but as you said, maybe Real doesn't need another star