Hierro under fire

Real Madrid fans are calling for the head of team captain Fernando Hierro, following the player's shoddy display against Valladolid on Saturday.

Hierro's position in the side has come under scrutiny recently, with many blaming the central defender for both of Valladolid's goals against the Merengues which allowed the visitors to take a point from the Bernabeu.

Some are pointing the finger at the 33-year-old for his lack of concentration, many feel that he should figure more in Del Bosque's rotation system as he is unlikely to sustain the high level necessary with more than 60 top-class games to be played this season.

The general consensus however is that Hierro, now pushing 34, is simply too slow to keep up with La Liga's pacy strikers.

But public opinion has not been shared by Hierro's team-mates, who came out in defence of the player on Tuesday.

"Hierro is a total profesional. He could end up as the most decorated player in Spain, you can't treat him like this. He's a sensitive guy and I'm sure that he's going to take these criticisms to heart," one of his colleagues told reporters on Tuesday.