Ramos installed as Madrid boss
Real Madrid sacked head coach Bernd Schuster, Tuesday. Although sporting director Predrag Mijatovic cited "mutual agreement" as the factor behind the 48-year-old's departure, Schuster's fate was all but sealed when he admitted his side would be up against it at Barcelona on Saturday.
Mijatovic must have been positively giddy at the remarks. Having never got on with the German manager, he had been campaigning for a coaching change since September. His dislike of Schuster put him directly at odds with Madrid president Ramon Calderon. In that context, Tuesday's news must be viewed as a decisive victory for Mijatovic.
In replacing Schuster, Madrid raided the Tottenham scrap heap. Less than two months after leaving Spurs in danger of relegation, Juande Ramos has been appointed the 11th manager in 10 years at the Bernabeu and will oversee his first match when Zenit St. Petersburg visit the Spanish capital in the Champions' League on Wednesday.
"I face this job with excitement," stated Ramos, adding, "It's everybody's dream. I hope I don't let anyone down and that I achieve the success that this club has set for this season."
In the short-term, his only target will be to narrow the gap between Madrid and Barcelona atop the Primera table. Currently, the Merengues are nine points adrift of their archrivals after just 14 rounds. The two sides will clash at the Nou Camp on Saturday.
The spectre of that match—and almost certain defeat for Madrid—prompted Schuster to utter his infamous last words at the Bernabau. "Right now," he remarked after a disappointing 4-3 loss at home to Sevilla, "it's not possible to win at the Nou Camp."
Given his side's recent run of form, he was correct in his comment. But he further destroyed the team's battered confidence by saying it in public.
In an interview with Madrid radio station El mirador de Punto Radio, goalkeeper Iker Casillas confirmed the lack of self-belief in the dressing room.
"At the moment, the team isn't capable of winning trophies because Barcelona lead us by nine points, and it's true their playing well," he said. "We are going though a bad run. Defensively we are vulnerable." He continued, "I have been 10 seasons in the Primera Liga, and this, for now, is the worst start I have had."
Mijatovic, for his part, would not verify the theory that Schuster's post-match comments on Sunday precipitated the coaching change.
"We can't pinpoint one specific moment that made us reach this decision," he said. "Schuster's declaration the other day hasn't any influence on our decision."
Instead, the 39-year-old said the move to replace Schuster was the result of several months of questionable performances.
"We spoke to Schuster this morning about all the difficulties over the past few months," he said. "We came to the mutual agreement to take this decision. He took the decision well. I have to take the opportunity to thanks Bernd Schuster for the work he did at Real Madrid. He did an excellent job last season to win the title and the Spanish Superliga."
Ramos, the former Sevilla boss, retains a strong reputation in Spain despite a turbulent 12 months at White Hart Lane. He has agreed a six-month contract and will be re-assessed at the end of the season.
It is being widely speculated that the 54-year-old is merely a stopgap between Schuster and Mijatovic's prime target, Rafael Benitez. Currently pacing the English Premier League with Liverpool, Benitez may look to switch jobs—or be forced to—if he cannot deliver the title to Anfield in May.
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