Queiroz faces selection dilemma in Real Madrid hotseat

After coming under heavy fire for his tactics during his team's 4-1 defeat away by Sevilla, Real Madrid coach Carlos Queiroz can thank a late goal by Zinedine Zidane for sparing him from a further bout of criticism.

The French midfielder scored with an improvised header seven minutes from time to give Real a 2-1 win over lowly Albacete at the Bernabeu on Sunday, a victory that helped the champions edge back to the top of the table ahead of Deportivo Coruna.

But Queiroz, who was attacked by the Spanish press for fielding an experimental back four against Sevilla two weeks ago, was also questioned about leaving leading scorer Ronaldo and versatile midfielder Ivan Helguera on the bench at the start of Sunday's match.

"We have got nine games in the next 28 days," Queiroz said after the match. "A lot of players have played two games for their national teams, have made long trips and have been under heavy pressure. That's why I decided to make the changes."

What appeared to be a sensible decision given the heavy schedule of games facing the team before the end of the year came close to backfiring as Real's humble opponents dominated from the kickoff at the Bernabeu.

Unsurprisingly replacement striker Javier Portillo and former youth team midfielder Borja, who have spent most of their first team careers sitting on the bench, looked short of match practice and their disappointing performances quickly drew whistles from the notoriously hard-to-please Real fans.

Nevertheless Real managed to take the lead against the run of play with a stunning 22-metre strike from David Beckham, although the England captain's goal was upstaged a minute later when Albacete midfielder Libero Parri levelled the scores with a thundering volley.

Real continued to struggle to control the ball and it was not until Queiroz brought on Helguera and then Ronaldo that they began to take hold of the match against their modest opponents.

The fact that once more Real had to rely on individual brilliance to beat mediocre opposition lends support to Queiroz's hints that his squad lacked strength in depth, but leading players have backed the coach's selection decisions.

"Squad rotations are necessary," said Beckham. "The calendar is very tough and playing every game can take its toll. Queiroz was right to do what he did."

Club president Florentino Perez's policy of buying only world class players and then relying on the youth team to supply the rest of the squad has certainly made life difficult for the Real coach.