Real at four-year low after Osasuna thrashing-Valdanovvv

Real Madrid are at their lowest ebb for four years following Sunday's 3-0 home league defeat by Osasuna and their shock Champions League exit, sporting director Jorge Valdano said.

"A host of negative results have come together in a short space of time," Valdano told Canal Plus television after watching the champions crash to their first league defeat at the Bernabeu in 11 months.

"We are now experiencing possibly the worst situation at the club in the last four years. It is our first home defeat of the season and we did it in the worst possible manner and at the worst possible moment."

Combined with Valencia's 1-0 win at Cup winners Real Zaragoza, Real's defeat meant they lost the leadership of the Primera Liga for the first time since mid-January.

It has been a devastating month for the reigning champions.

They suffered a surprise 3-2 extra-time defeat by Real Zaragoza in the final of the King's Cup on March 17.

They were given an even bigger shock this week when Monaco staged a stunning second-leg comeback to win 3-1 and knock Real out of the Champions League quarter-finals.

Sunday's defeat at home to Osasuna means Real have frittered away an eight-point lead and now trail Valencia by two points with just six games to go.

To make matters worse leading striker Ronaldo hobbled off the pitch midway through the first half with what appeared to be a recurrence of a hamstring injury that kept him out of action for just over two weeks last month.

Valdano said it was now down to the players to help the club out of its predicament.

"We are still going to fight hard for this league," he said. "The run of disappointments has affected everyone's morale and the players now have to get the club out of this situation and they are going to do just that."