Real Madrid today announced that they had sacked Bernd Schuster as coach and replaced him with former Tottenham manager Juande Ramos. Ramos’s first game in charge will be Wednesday’s Champions League match at home to Zenit St Petersburg.
Real Madrid have struggled this season under Schuster and currently sit fifth in the Primera Liga, nine points behind Barcelona, who they face in El Clasico on Saturday. In addition, Real were knocked out of the Copa del Rey by little-known Real Union last month.
Schuster enjoyed a successful first year at the Bernabeu last year winning the league title. But this season injuries have decimated his squad with Mali international Mahamadou Diarra becoming the latest Madrid player to be struck down with a major injury as he will miss between six and nine months with a knee injury. Diarra joins Ruud van Nistelrooy, Gabriel Heinze, Pepe, Wesley Sneijder, Miguel Torres and Ruben de la Red in the treatment room
Sunday’s 4-3 home defeat by Sevilla was the final straw for Madrid’s directors, who previously had given Schuster several votes of confidence.
Juande Ramos who was sacked by Tottenham in October following Tottenham’s worst start to a season, still has a good reputation in Spain after having led Sevilla to back-to-back UEFA Cup wins in 2006 and 2007.