Real hit by Moscow blow with trip to Abu Dhabi looming
I have to take responsibility for picking a lot of young players but it’s helped us rest the people we needed to SANTIAGO SOLARI Real Madrid manager
Real Madrid will arrive in Abu Dhabi early next week to commence their bid to win a third successive Fifa Club World Cup, but their confidence has taken a dent after a shock loss in the Uefa Champions League.
The European champions, who had already qualified for the last 16 of the tournament, were beaten 3-0 by CSKA Moscow on Wednesday night at the Bernabeu, their most emphatic ever home loss in their history in European competition.
Even though Real manager Santiago Solari had made a number of changes to his lineup, with players such as Luka Modric, Gareth Bale and Toni Kroos on the bench, the manner of the defeat caused some consternation with supporters booing at the final whistle.
“We started the game well, especially the first 30-35 minutes, but we weren’t good enough in either box and they punished us,” said Solari. “I didn’t like what I saw in the second half.”
Solari said he took responsibility for a first home defeat in Europe in nine years and felt that he had been right to give players such as Isco and Mario Asensio some time on the field.
“It is my job to get the side ready, and I picked a young group today, but this allowed them to get some minutes into their legs and gain experience.”
Real face Rayo Vallecano in La Liga on Saturday before they make the trip to the UAE, with their first game on Wednesday at the Zayed Sports City Stadium against either Kashima Antlers or Guadalajara.
Solari believes that giving some of his key personnel a rest against Moscow could be a benefit for Saturday’s game and then the trip to the UAE.
“I have to take responsibility for picking a lot of young players, but it’s helped us rest the players we needed to. It’s a two-sided coin because we’re not happy with the result.”
Despite the defeat Real, still topped Group G, finishing ahead of Roma, with Moscow missing out on a spot in the Europa League on goal difference to Viktoria Plzen.
Solari said he was relaxed on who Real could face in the last 16, with the draw taking place on Monday.
The vagaries of the draw mean that they have a 50 per cent chance of being drawn with an English Premier League side with Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool and Manchester United all possible opponents.
“We’ve now switched our focus to the Rayo game, which is the next match, and then the draw on Monday,” Solari said. “There are a lot of games before the Champions League knock-out stage”.
For Moscow it was an evening of mixed emotions.
They picked up one of the most famous results in their history, but Viktoria Plzen’s shock win over Roma meant they still finish bottom of the group.
Goals by Fedor Chalov, Georgi Schennikov and Arnor Sigurdsson secured the victory and manager Viktor Goncharenko said: “It’s sad, to say the least, to beat Real Madrid, earn seven points, but finish bottom and get eliminated from Europe.
“But we only have ourselves to blame. In any case, we’ve made sure we will spend the holidays in a great mood after tonight’s win.”
And scorer Schennikov said: “We were hoping for Roma to at least draw, but it wasn’t meant to be. Still, our young team have got such important experience in this Uefa Champions League, and it’s certainly good for its future.”