MX23RW : Thursday, July 4 08:08:03| >> :120:41847:41847:
[monks data]
Attendance: 67,356
Real Madrid logo
Champions League | Group Stage
Oct 23, 2018 at 8pm UK
 

2-1

Benzema (11'), Marcelo (55')
FT(HT: 1-0)
Hrosovsky (79')

Lopetegui: If you want to see a dejected coach don't look here

The former Spain coach is under pressure with Real Madrid having lost four of their last five matches in all competitions.

Under-fire Real Madrid coach Julen Lopetegui is adamant he will be in charge of Tuesday's Champions League clash with Viktoria Plzen.

Reports suggested the former Spain manager was about to lose his job after an embarrassing 2-1 home loss to Levante at the weekend made it four defeats from five in all competitions and left them seventh in LaLiga.

Real resume their Champions League campaign – where they lost to CSKA Moscow last time out –  against the Czech outfit, and Lopetegui is insistent he will still be in a job.

He told a press conference, as reported in the Spanish media: "I am looking at the situation the same as ever, I am carrying out my day-to-day as usual and that is what is under our control.

"If you want to see a dejected coach then don't look here.

"In my view we have a game that we are looking forward to and we will go about it with total commitment and drive.

"I am not thinking about anything else other than tomorrow's game."

Speculation is rife that the Group G clash could be his last game in charge, but even if they do win, it seems unlikely he would survive a defeat in Saturday's El Clasico against Barcelona.

"It has been assumed as done and dusted from what I have read but what I have done is analyse and prepare for the rival, I am not thinking of anything else which is my responsibility," added Lopetegui.

"I am here right now, I cannot confirm anything else right now. I will be the coach tomorrow."

Midfielder Isco is firmly behind his manager and says the players must take responsibility for the reigning European champions' slump.

He said: "I think it would be crazy (to sack him), you have to let him work.

"He has only been here for two months. If you get rid of the coach you have to get rid of all of us.

"It is us that haven't been scoring goals or playing well. It belongs to all of us, not just the coach.

"The responsibility is on everyone, not just the coach. It's the players that don't score the goals.

"We know better than anyone what the atmosphere is in the changing room.

"It's calm, we're confident we can turn things around."

Isco, left, says the Real Madrid players have to take responsibility for their poor form
Isco, left, says the Real Madrid players have to take responsibility for their poor form (Mike Egerton/PA)

Real are third in the group, a point behind leaders CSKA, who play Roma.

Plzen travel to the Spanish capital second in their domestic league, but without much expectation.

And midfielder Patrik Hrosovsky is not being fooled by Real's predicament.

"We certainly have respect for each rival, and of Real Madrid for that quality of course," he told the club's official website.

"Now they are not doing so much, but last season it was similar and eventually won the Champions League.

"The quality is huge here.

"I look forward to the stadium and the team, it is definitely an exceptional team, three times in a row they won the Champions League and, of course, no one knows if we will ever have a chance to play against such a team again."

ga('create', 'UA-72310761-1', 'auto', {'name': 'pacontentapi'});
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'referrer', location.origin);
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension1', 'By Press Association Sport staff');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension2', '2af58706-113b-4596-8c11-242d6b4b5723');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension3', 'paservice:sport,paservice:sport:football,paservice:sport:match-reports,paservice:sport:uk,paservice:sport:world');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension6', 'story');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension7', 'composite');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension8', null);
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension9', 'sport:football');
ga('pacontentapi.send', 'pageview', { 'location': location.href, 'page': (location.pathname + location.search + location.hash), 'title': 'Lopetegui: If you want to see a dejected coach don\u2019t look here'});

ID:339309: cacheID:339309:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:9593:No Data Analysis info
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Lionel Messi celebrates the opener during the Champions League group game between Barcelona and PSV Eindhoven on September 18, 2018
Read Next:
UCL Team of the Week - Messi, Pogba, Fekir
>
Read more about Julen Lopetegui Football
rhs 2.0
Euro 2024 fixtures header
Friday, July 5
 
5pm
Quarter-Finals
Spain
vs.
Germany
 
8pm
Quarter-Finals
Portugal
vs.
France
Saturday, July 6
 
5pm
Tuesday, July 9
Wednesday, July 10
Sunday, July 14
Tables header RHS

Group A

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Germany Germany32107
Q Switzerland Switzerland31205
3 Hungary Hungary31023
4 Scotland flag Scotland30121

Group B

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Spain Spain33009
Q Italy Italy31114
3 Croatia Croatia30212
4 Albania national flag Albania30121

Group C

TeamPWDLPTS
Q England flag England31205
Q Denmark Denmark30303
Q Slovenia Slovenia30303
4 Serbia Serbia30212

Group D

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Austria Austria32016
Q France France31205
Q Netherlands Netherlands31114
4 Poland Poland30121

Group E

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Romania Romania31114
Q Belgium Belgium31114
Q Slovakia Slovakia31114
4 Ukraine Ukraine31114

Group F

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Portugal Portugal32016
Q Turkey Turkey32016
Q Georgia Georgia31114
4 Czech Republic Czech Republic30121


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!