Real Madrid coach Vanderlei Luxemburgo insists the team mustn’t panic in the face of a dismal start to the season that continued with a 3-0 Champions League defeat to Lyon.
The thrashing at Stade Gerland on Wednesday came four days after the star-studded team’s 3-2 home loss against newly promoted Celta Vigo in the Spanish league.
”Despite such a heavy defeat, we need to keep calm because the competition is starting and we can’t let ourselves become demoralised,” Luxemburgo was quoted as saying by news agency Europa Press.
John Carew, Juninho and Sylvain Wiltord all scored for Lyon in an 11-minute spell during the first half. It would have been worse if Juninho hadn’t missed a penalty in the 41st minute.
”They were lucky because they scored with their first free kick and that decides lots of things. In the second half, we had opportunities and possession, but the goal we deserved wouldn’t come. The statistics show that we had a lot of opportunities but we didn’t take them,” Luxemburgo said.
Madrid spent about â,¬85-million on five new players this summer in a bid to end a drought without a major trophy that stretches back to 2003.
Four played against Lyon — Brazil forwards Robinho and Julio Baptista, Spain defender Sergio Ramos and Uruguay midfielder Pablo Garcia. Only another Uruguayan, Carlos Diogo, didn’t appear.
Luxemburgo said his team suffered from the absence of injured Zinedine Zidane and suspended Ronaldo.
”They are two players who make the difference in a match. When Ronaldo isn’t on the field, the opposing defenders are calmer. It’s the same with Zidane, but they weren’t there today and we had to replace them,” the Brazilian said.
Luxemburgo, who was appointed last December as Madrid’s fourth coach in 18 months, must hope for an improvement when Madrid visit Espanyol in the league on Sunday.
In the corresponding game almost exactly a year ago, a 1-0 defeat provoked the resignation of one of his predecessors, Jose Antonio Camacho. Coincidentally, a few days earlier, Madrid had also lost 3-0 in the Champions League — that time against Bayer Leverkusen. — Sapa-AP