Los Blancos blasted, Spanish press want Champions League holders to sign Kane

“MADRID CONTINUE in limbo” concluded AS, but Marca needed just one word – “debacle.”

It was a dream night for Tottenham at Wembley but a nightmare for Real Madrid, for whom “all the alarms are ringing” if you believe Marca’s front page yesterday morning.

They “transferred their crisis to Europe,” wrote Jesus Sanchez, a crisis that shows little sign of abating. We asked on these pages earlier this week whether Zinedine Zidane, a coach who has survived on good relationships with his players but little in the way of decisive tactical acumen, would be able to revive this team and, increasingly, the press in the Spanish capital seems unconvinced.

“His intentions were good. The result awful,” was the conclusion on Zidane’s gameplan, “the defeat was painful and the worst of the Zidane era... alarms are beginning to sound.”

Back over at AS, the tone was no less bleak: “This was the worst Madrid that Zidane has managed up to now.”

“Kroos and Modric have lost their level and energy. They don’t dominate games.”

It was the midfield that came in for most criticism and, unusually for such a convincing defeat, the defence who saw some praise. But not as much as Harry Kane, who might not have scored but certainly won over Spanish onlookers who described him as “a nightmare, a tremendous headache.”

Indeed, one analysis by Marca had Kane wearing a different white shirt in the not-toodistant future.

“Are Real Madrid not looking for a 9? Because after watching Kane, sending any scouts to any part of the world that isn’t Wembley would be a waste of time and money. He’s the man.”

At the other end, though, no such luck. Cristiano Ronaldo, who has endured a tough start to the season, criticised in brutal fashion by AS’s Luis Nieto.

“The Portuguese appears to have lost his superpowers and is incapable of supporting [his place in the team] if he doesn’t score.”

But he still got off lighter than goalkeeper Kiko Casilla, who Marca essentially accuse of letting in Dele Alli’s opener on purpose, or Marcelo, who was picked on by Spurs and then the Madrid press corps – “a disaster” wrote Ruben Jimenez. Karim Benzema, according to AS’s Real Madrid editor Tomas Roncero, “is the first striker in the club’s history who doesn’t need to score goals but remains an indisputable starter.”

Marca’s Hugo Cerezo criticised Zidane’s substitutions and scoffed at losing to a club of Spurs’ level. This wasn’t against “a European great, but a second-tier club without continental tradition or Champions League silverware.”

Of course, as desperately miserable as the scene was being painted in the capital things took a somewhat different tone in the Barcelonabased media.

“Madrid in freefall,” said Mundo Deportivo, barely concealing a grin.

“What happened in Girona and what happened in London are the palpable proof that Madrid are in crisis,” wrote their Real Madrid editor, Manuel Bruna, of a game that near neighbours SPORT described in similar terms.

“Tottenham put together a game that was intense, without rest, no time to think or even breathe,” but there was more to Mauricio Pochettino’s men than that.

“Tottenham really play football, and they do it with players like Kane, Alli and Eriksen. A ceaseless burden for Real Madrid.”

A ceaseless burden for Real Madrid and a never-ending source of pride for Spurs. Pochettino’s side won plenty of admirers with a historic win. Now it is up to them to get results as impressive when it really matters – in the knockout phase. – The Independent