Coach Luxemburgo sacked by desperate Real
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Coach Luxemburgo sacked by desperate Real
MADRID, Dec 4 (Reuters) - Real Madrid coach Vanderlei Luxemburgo was sacked on Sunday just over 11 months after taking charge of the nine-times European champions.
The 53-year-old Brazilian, who was Real's fifth coach in the space of two and a half years, was dismissed following an emergency board meeting at the club's Bernabeu stadium, a day after the team's lacklustre 1-0 win at home to Getafe.
Real Madrid Television said that reserve team boss Juan Ramon Lopez Caro, who steered his side to promotion into the second division last season, would replace Luxemburgo as first team coach on a caretaker basis.
Juventus coach Fabio Capello, who led Real to the league title in 1997, former Celta Vigo and Porto boss Victor Fernandez, England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson and Liverpool's Rafael Benitez have all been mooted as possible long-term replacements for Luxemburgo.
Former Brazil and Santos coach Luxemburgo was appointed at the end of December 2004 in place of Mariano Garcia Remon when the club was in fifth place in the Primera Liga, 13 points behind arch-rivals Barcelona.
He leaves the team in fourth place in the standings with 25 points from 14 games, six behind joint leaders Barcelona and Osasuna. Real have also booked their place in the last 16 of the Champions League.
The Brazilian got off to a dream start at Real when his side snatched victory in a frantic seven-minute mini-match against Real Sociedad and then went on to win seven league games in a row.
However, his brief honeymoon period came to an end when Real were knocked out of both the King's Cup and the Champions League, though the team recovered in the league to finish four points behind champions Barcelona.
The club then spent nearly 90 million euros ($105.3 million) in reconstructing the squad during the close season, bringing in Brazilian strikers Robinho and Julio Baptista, the promising Spanish international defender Sergio Ramos and Uruguayan duo Pablo Garcia and Carlos Diogo.
But the expensive makeover failed to bring about an improvement in the team's performances and they slumped to defeats against Olympique Lyon, Celta Vigo and Espanyol in the opening weeks of the season.
Injuries to a succession of leading players did not help Real's cause, but more than anything it has been the side's lack of flair that has caused consternation amongst directors and fans alike.
Further defeats against Valencia and Deportivo Coruna, and a 3-0 thrashing by arch-rivals Barcelona at the Bernabeu in which fans ended the game applauding the opposition and whistling the home players further undermined confidence in Luxemburgo.
Outwardly the club expressed its faith in the feisty Brazilian, but his failure to deliver the stylish victories that the club demanded meant that his days were numbered.
Saturday's narrow victory over modest local rivals Getafe, which was not helped by David Beckham's second half dismissal and ended with more jeering for the home side, finally sealed his fate.
Real have failed to live up to their "Galactico" billing ever since Vicente del Bosque was discarded in July 2003 after steering the club to two European Cups and two league titles and they have not won a major trophy since the former midfielder was cast aside.
Since then the club has gone through four other coaches in an attempt to find a person capable of getting a star-studded squad that includes the likes of Ronaldo, Zinedine Zidane, Beckham and Robinho to live up to expectations. -
i think they need a manager who can control egos and who is strict as well..souness maybe?haha no just joking..
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Get Sir Alex Ferguson!!!!
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Real's top target will be wenger then second choice must be paul le guen
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he will sell half the team and spend another 100 million.Originally posted by stellazio:i think they need a manager who can control egos and who is strict as well..souness maybe?haha no just joking.. -
the real team needs to be dismantled..too many overpaid stars..and so old somemore..Originally posted by dragg:he will sell half the team and spend another 100 million. -
inconsistent also...
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x2 agree... they really should try to get him over since fergie is attacking minded...Originally posted by Patrik:Get Sir Alex Ferguson!!!! -
actually i think get the best manager also no use. the policy of galaticos and the decisions are from the director one. stupid eh
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It was an accident waiting to happen.
No one handled the egos in the team better than Vicente Del Bosque and fancy the club sacking the gaffer.
With the pressure from the fans and massive expectations to live up to, the Madrid managerial seat is probably the toughest to take over at the moment.
Not to mention the present hugely inbalanced squad. It's just like a plane with an overloaded cockpit, it's never going to take off properly.
IMO, I'll say go for someone proven. Get someone in the likes of Fabio Capello or Vicente Del Bosque. -
it will be real interesting. clash or all egosssss.Originally posted by Patrik:Get Sir Alex Ferguson!!!! -
lol reunited with Beckham...Originally posted by Patrik:Get Sir Alex Ferguson!!!! -
Get Sir Bobby Robson and u will see what is Real Madrid or Otmar Hitzfield