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Former Real Madrid manager and player Jorge Valdano says he believe the club is paying the price for the disconnect between boss Rafa Benitez and the players this season.

Los Blancos slipped to defeat at Villarreal on Sunday, blowing the chance to cut the gap on Barcelona and Atletico de Madrid to two points. It is the latest in a poor season by Real’s high standards.

On the field, they were hammered by Barcelona in the Clasico and also lost to Sevilla, while that have not looked convincing in other games.

Off the field, there have been stories of fallings out between senior players and the manager, while the club was also thrown out of the Copa del Rey for fielding Denis Cheryshev against Cadiz when he was supposed to be serving a one-match ban.

Speaking on El Larguero, Valdano said the game at El Madrigal was an example of the disconnect between Benitez and his team.

“There was a drop of collective intensity from the first minute. It’s inexplicable what happened in the first half, especially after seeing the second part. Madrid had the opportunity to move within two points and they lost in the first-half with a team with weak spirit. In the first half Madrid acted with an unbecoming mediocrity,” he said.

And he added: “At Madrid you cannot train the same way Villarreal does. It’s much more complex than that. Madrid are paying the price of having a disconnect between the manager and players.”

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Champions League trophy

Roma boss Rudi Garcia says his players will be ready to take on Real Madrid in the last 16 of the Champions League and do not fear coming up against the European giants.

The Seria A side snuck in second in their group with six points from as many games. They were hammered 6-1 by Barcelona at the Nou Camp and secured qualification to the knock out stages with a goalless draw at home to BATE.

Los Blancos, meanwhile, cruised through their group, which included PSG. They defeated the French champions at the Santiago Bernabeu and also became the first team to score eight goals in a game in the group stages when the thrashed Swedish minnows Malmo 8-0.

Speaking to the media after the draw was made on Monday, Garcia said his players would be looking forward to the tie and will be prepared.

“Real Madrid will be favourites. We faced Barcelona in the group stage and now Real Madrid, but we are in the Champions League for this reason. In February we will have a few players back from injury and we will be ready to give everything. All the lads are ready and looking forward to this game,” he told the UEFA website.

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La Liga chief Javier Tebas has tried to calm the storm between Gerard Pique and Real Madrid’s Alvaro Arbeloa by saying comments by the Barcelona defender should be taken tongue in cheek.

The pair have had a public row through various media which started with the Catalan centre back mocking Madrid after their Copa del Rey debacle. The Santiago Bernabeu side were thrown out of the competition for fielding ineligible player Denis Cheryshev against Cadiz.

Arbeloa responded by laughing at Barcelona for conceding a late equaliser against Valencia last weekend, and Pique followed that up by saying his fellow Spain international is not a friend of his.

The latest comments were seen as a step too far by many and Pique has been widely criticised for stirring tensions.

But in quotes published by Marca, Tebas, a Real fan, said Pique’s comments should not be taken seriously.

“It’s wrong to say what’s been said about a teammate, but as a Real Madrid fan I take it with some humour. I don’t like what he’s done but we all know what Pique is like. There’s no need to make a martyr out of him or to have him shot,” he said.

And he added: “We shouldn’t take things out of context. Some players will be on bad terms and others better. When [Pique and the Madrid players] are together in the national team they’re able to get on and win titles for our team.”

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Real Madrid legend Luis Figo has claimed Cristiano Ronaldo has serious chances of winning the Ballon d’Or award for a third consecutive time.

The 30-year-old is competing with Leo Messi and Neymar to lift the trophy, and although the two Barcelona forwards are favourites, Figo believes his country-man can win it.

“They are three magnificent players. If they take into account the number of club trophies won, the award will go to a Barcelona man. But if voters take into account the individual statistics, such as the goals scored, Ronaldo can win,” Figo told Spanish radio station Onda Cero in an interview.

Despite Ronaldo has failed to conquer any title with Real Madrid in 2015, he has been the top scorer in European football.

Asked about the players who could win the Ballon d’Or in the future, Figo explained he’s got three favourite candidates: “I like Verrati, Neymar and Douglas Costa a lot, but I think Ronaldo and Messi are one step ahead of the rest.”

Thus, the former Los Blancos midfielder expects one of the two stars to lift the award one more time. The pair has won all the Ballon d’Or trophies in the last seven years, with Messi conquering four and Ronaldo getting three.

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Real Madrid full back Marcelo has denied there is an attitude problem in the camp and says the players just need to work harder to get back on track in the league.

Los Blancos slipped to another defeat on Sunday at Villarreal leaving them five points behind Barcelona and Atletico de Madrid in the title race. Some media have picked up on comments made by members of the Real squad in the aftermath suggesting unrest in the camp and poor attitude in the build up to games.

But the Brazilian told reporters the players are all pulling in the same direction and want the best for the club.

“It’s not an attitude problem. We tried to do what we did in the second half in the first, but they had more of the ball and performed better than us in that first half, and we paid the price for that,” he commented.

And he revealed his frustration at being unable to take advantage of Barcelona’s slip up the day before.

“It’s annoying, because we were aware of Barcelona’s result and we should have gone out and got the win. There is still a long way to go in the league, we have to keep fighting and work on where we went wrong in training to make sure we challenge. The fans want Real Madrid to win every game, regardless of who we play, but it’s difficult because every team wants to put in a great match against us. We have to pick ourselves up and move on forwards,” he added.

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Sergio Ramos believe Real Madrid showed a lack of intensity in the loss at Villarreal.

Los Blancos slipped to a 1-0 defeat to fall five points off the pace in La Liga and with plenty of ground to make up.

They were largely outplayed in the opening period by their hosts at El Madrigal but showed more energy in the second half despite not having their shooting boots on.

Taking time out to speak to the media afterwards, Ramos said: “We needed to show more intensity and a bit more fighting spirit to stop them getting themselves in front. The team produced a good reaction in the second half and we just lacked that goal that in other games we have managed to get.

“We came out in tentative mood and we were up against Villarreal, who play really good football. What was positive was the reaction in the second half. We lacked tempo and intensity.”

Speaking about the situation in the league, Ramos said he is confident the campaign has plenty of twists and turns yet to come.

“When the result doesn’t go our way, that’s when we have to stick together the most. Football takes a lot of twists and turns. We could have cut the points gap, but we have to move on and learn from what happened today. Everyone has their own portion of the blame. Now we have to keep on going, because there’s a long way to go in the league season.”

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Cristiano Ronaldo is about to turn 31 years old and many believe the time has come for him to leave the Santiago Bernabeu when he can still earn himself a good contract in another club.

The Portugal international is entering the final stage in his career, and a section of the club directors believe they should sell him now that they can get some decent money for his transfer.

Thus, the chances of seeing Ronaldo flee Madrid next summer are higher than ever, and Los Blancos have already started looking for the perfect man to replace him. There is obviously no one in the world whose characteristics match those of the Portuguese, but some candidates have arisen who could decently fill that gap.

Here at Real Madrid News we have made our own ranking, analysing some of the players Real Madrid are eyeing and ordering them by how well we believe they would replace Ronaldo:

5. Raheem Sterling

Raheem_Sterling_ccThe Manchester City forward was linked with Real Madrid, but ended up signing for the Citizens last summer. Yet, Los Blancos have not removed him from their wish-list. Sterling is possibly the most talented young player in Britain and any big European club would love to have him. He is a very versatile footballer, although he prefers to play as winger. He’s got great technical quality, but his main problem is the lack of consistency in his performances. The chances of him arriving at Madrid any time soon are really low, as City have just paid 68 million euros for him and are not willing to let him go.

4. Alexis Sanchez

alexis-sanchez-ccThe Chile international has been constantly linked with a move to Madrid during the past few months. The fans would enjoy seeing him in white, given his past at Barcelona, as it is always pleasant to feel you have stolen a player from your arch-rival. Alexis is fast, strong and has great quality, but he propably lacks the leadership skills Ronaldo’s substitute must have. Arsenal are not likely to let him go for less than 60 million euros, and for that money Los Blancos can probably sign a better player.

3. Douglas Costa

Douglas_Costa_ccThe 25-year-old Brazilian is impressing in his first season at Bayern Munich. He usually plays as a left winger but, unlike Ronaldo, he is more of an assist expert than a goal-scorer. He is well known for his crossing ability, his speed and his dribbling skills. He is able to create plenty of scoring chances, so he would probably complement Karim Benzema perfectly. With Pep Guardiola expected to leave Munich this summer, Costa would probably have less reasons to stay in Germany, and Real could be able to seduce him. Yet, Bayern are not willing to sell, so Florentino Perez would have to offer much more than the 30 million the Germans paid Shakhtar Donetsk last summer.

2. Memphis Depay

memphis-depay-ccThe Manchester United winger is struggling to show his quality with the Red Devils. He’s having a terrible season, having failed to qualify for the European Championship with the Netherlands and being knocked out of the Champions League with United. He is not happy at the moment, and that is something Los Blancos can take advantage of in order to sign a world-class footballer at an affordable price. Depay is a talented winger with great dribbling skills and physical strength. Just like Ronaldo, he usually plays an as inverted left winger who cuts onto his right foot, and he is also a good goal-scorer. He is probably the most similar player to Cristiano, but whether he will be able to develop into a Ballon d’Or candidate is still a doubt.

1. Eden Hazard

eden-hazard-ccRonaldo himself has praised Hazard as one of the most talented young players in football. Among all the candidates to replace the Portuguese, the Belgian is probably the most mature. Despite being just 24-years-old, he has proved to be a natural leader in the field and a world-class player who can create his own scoring chances and win a match without much help from the rest of the team. Playing as a left-winger or as an attacking midfielder, he is a nightmare for any defender. He’s got stunning pace and technical ability. He’s incredibly fast, and a fantastic goal scorer. Real Madrid know he would be the best choice for the job, and the fact that he is not entirely happy at Chelsea at the moment could facilitate his arrival at the Santiago Bernabeu.

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Real Madrid goalkeeper Keylor Navas has admitted his team mates did not do enough to win the game at Villarreal and they lacked togetherness.

Los Blancos slipped to a 1-0 defeat at El Madridgal on Sunday evening and fell even further behind Barcelona and Atletico de Madrid in the title race.

The game showed the two contrasting sides to Real this season and summed up the season as a whole. In the first half they lacked shape and discipline and looked vulnerable at the back. In the second half they had much more energy about them and created plenty of chances to score.

Speaking to the media afterwards, Navas said: “We haven’t played as well as we could have against our direct rivals, we’ve given them time and that ends up coming back to bite you. They played with high intensity throughout the match, while we had to go a goal behind to start playing as a team. We lacked the kind of team spirit needed to go ahead in the first half but the Real Madrid we all know and love came out after the break, however, that wasn’t enough.”

And he added: “It’s hard to know why we lack intensity sometimes. We are a team, when we lose and when we win we do so together. People need to be aware that we want to be in contention for the La Liga title at the end of the season and we’re going to fight to win it. We need to march onwards, get on with things and keep our heads up and be aware that we are Real Madrid. This team need to win titles and remain in the hunt until the very end.”

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Luka Modric says Real Madrid can not afford any more slip ups in La Liga after losing more ground on Atletico de Madrid and Barcelona.

Los Blancos sit five points behind the top two after falling to a 1-0 defeat at El Madrigal on Sunday. Former Real striker Roberto Soldado scored the only goal after eight minutes.

Real started the game slowly and could have been even further behind at half time, but they were a different team in the second period, coming close on a number of occasions but unable to hit the back of the net.

With just two league games left before the winter break, Modric said they is plenty of work to do and the team can not afford to drop more points if they have hopes of lifting the title in May.

“We’re very upset, we didn’t expect to lose today. We know we can’t afford any more slip-ups because Barcelona and Atlético are five points above us, but all that can still change. We have to win from here on in and hope that Barcelona and Atlético start dropping points,” he said.

And he added: “We knew we had a chance to narrow the gap on Barcelona but it’s difficult to explain why we were so off the boil in the first half. We need to find ways of preventing this kind of thing from happening again in the future. We need to win our remaining two games to end the year on a positive note. Hopefully we’ll be better in the new year.”

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Champions League trophy

Real Madrid will take on AS Roma in the last-16 round of the Champions League. The draw held at UEFA headquarters in Nyom has paired Los Merengues with the Italian side.

The first leg will be played in Rome on Wednesday February 17th, while the return leg will be played at the Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday March 8th.

Los Blancos have met the Romans on eight occasions in this tournament, registering four wins, one draw and three losses. The last time they met, in the last-16 round of the 2008 season, Roma managed to knock Real out of the competition, beating them with the same score in both games: 2-1.

Roma sit currently fifth in the Serie A table, and finished second in Group E of the Champions League behind Barcelona.

Madrid rivals in the group stage, Paris Saint-Germain, have been paired with Chelsea. Their arch-rivals Barcelona will face Arsenal, and their neighbours Atletico will meet PSV Eindhoven.

The remaining four pairings are the following: Juventus vs Bayern Munich, Dynamo Kyiv vs Manchester City, Benfica vs Zenit, and Gent vs Wolfsburg.

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