Valdano attacks Del Bosque

Real boss Vicente Del Bosque has attempted to defend his side after sports manager Jorge Valdano criticised both him and his struggling squad.

Valdano has given both the players and coach a stern talking to about the recent lack of form in the Spanish Primera Liga.

But Del Bosque has defended himself and his players, saying: "In every season there are good runs and bad ones, we are currently experiencing a period of irregularity, but we've also seen some moments of good football."

"It's impossible to look for the causes for the situation we find ourselves in, there are so many competitions to play for."

"Remember, on Wednesday we played in the cup, we came back to Madrid at 5am and then six hours later we're back training - it's like we're on a never-ending treadmill."

"I'm not saying that we're going to win the league, I didn't even say that last season when there were only a few games left to play. But all is not lost, we still have options."

Saturday's 0-0 draw at Alaves means that Del Bosque is yet to lead his team to victory outside of the Bernabeu this season. Real have now fallen eight points behind new Primera Liga leaders Deportivo, who have 17 points as opposed to the The Madrilenos' nine.