‘Lopetegui guaranteed to be coach for Clasico’
Madrid fans are very loyal and they think that the team should always be scoring four or five goals but we have to change that tendency
Butragueno, Real director
madrid — Under-fire coach Julen Lopetegui will still be in charge of Real Madrid for Sunday’s ‘Clasico’ away to arch rivals Barcelona, club director Emilio Butragueno said after an unconvincing 2-1 win over Viktoria Plzen in the Champions League on Tuesday.
Lopetegui said before facing Plzen he could not guarantee whether he would be in the dugout at the Nou Camp against champions Barcelona. He avoided the same question after the victory which ended a winless spell spanning five games but did little to dispel doubts about Real’s current form. Former striker Butragueno, however, said there was no danger the former Spain coach would be sacked before Sunday.
“Lopetegui will be in the dugout at the Nou Camp with absolute normality. In these type of situations it’s important to stay calm,” he told reporters. “We hear a lot of rumours but we are dealing with the situation as normal. I hope the team can put in a good performance against Barcelona.”
Goals from Karim Benzema and Marcelo put Real on their way to victory although the impressive Czech champions squandered a number of glaring chances before midfielder Patrik Hrosovsky pulled a goal back for the visitors, setting up a tight finish.
When full time came, Real were booed off the pitch by the Santiago Bernabeu faithful, who had also whistled them at the interval. Butragueno said fans needed to show the team more support. “Madrid fans are very loyal and they think that the team should always be scoring four or five goals but we have to change that tendency,” he added. “In delicate moments we need the support of the crowd to change the situation.”
Lopetegui, sacked as Spain coach on the eve of the World Cup for announcing he was joining Real without the national federation’s consent, said he was unaffected by the boos. —