Sergio Ramos and Marcelo have been involved in a training bust-up.
Things have not been going well for Real Madrid who have lost their last three games which has put the club on a pressure. The Los Blancos were bullied away by Ajax in the Champions League, whereas they lost to Barcelona in the La Liga and Copa Del Rey as it looks increasingly unlikely to head into a trophyless season.
Amidst the ongoing conundrum on the pitch, there is a rift between two senior players in the club – Sergio Ramos and Marcelo. The current atmosphere within the team has been really poor, and an altercation between the Real Madrid defenders at Valdebebas at the end of training on Saturday has given much more for Florentino Perez to think, according to the Spanish publication Marca.
Having been eliminated from all the three competitions within one week, pressure and criticism have surrounded the squad, especially Santiago Solari, but it is not a good look to have two of the captains squabbling at a time of crisis.
Madrid have undertaken a small sided match and Marcelo is set to have celebrated the victory over Sergio Ramos’ side in the training. The Spanish International is said to have been frustrated with the act of Marcelo, especially in the time of a problem at Santiago Bernabeu.
Their teammates intervened the conversation from escalating, even though it lasted for only a few minutes. The two senior players believed that their emotions came out because of the team’s form.
The duo has enjoyed a great relationship over the last decade and share the same agent, Sergio’s brother Rene Ramos, it was best to calm things down before it was too late.
The training session was the last before Real Madrid take on Real Valladolid in the La Liga action on Sunday. It has been a poor week for Ramos who was not available for the game against Ajax.
The Spanish International is serving a one-match suspension against Real Valladolid, but he decided to travel with the team to sit on the stands and watch his team play.
Marcelo has been linked with a move to Juventus in the summer transfer window. The club and player have not spoken about the transfer till date.
In the pre-match press conference, Santiago Solari said that he would go into this game with positive mentality despite a tough spell during the last week.
“We’ll go there with a professional attitude. It’s true that it’s in situations of adversity that you see people’s character. That’s when you see who’s with you and who’s not, who disappears, who stands tall, who’s happy, who’s down and who’s prepared to battle against the situation”.
“It’ll be a very tough one, just like they all are. Valladolid will come out and try to get all they can from the game and we’ll have to do the same as we try to put more points on the board. The key is for us to play as a team”.
The Argentine International said that he conducts team meetings after the game irrespective of the result.
“Things that go on in private are private matters. It’s all to do with the dressing room. There are things that can be shared in a press conference and we always look at ourselves critically. They’re very harsh on themselves when they look at the performances.”
“It’s not something that only happens when we lose. It’s a process that we see every day, especially after a win. It’s easy to find somebody to blame when things are going badly and the difficult thing is to identify weaknesses in the good times”.
“I could answer in the same way as I did on my first day in the job. We’re all here for a limited time. The most important thing is the next game. Our focus is on our next match and our daily work. Today we came out intent on working hard and we’ll do the same again tomorrow. Our commitment couldn’t be any great and it’s an honour to serve this badge”. said Solari.
