Madrid press pile pressure on Pellegrini
It may have been a miserable Tuesday night for Real Madrid but it was a magnificent one for the glaziers of the city.
As AlcorcónâÂÂs fourth goal flew in, the squeal of protest from a fist-flying Florentino Pérez in his presidential high chair was so piercing that it shattered windows for miles around AlcorcónâÂÂs Santo Domingo stadium â the scene of what is being described in WednesdayâÂÂs press as the lowest point in Real MadridâÂÂs history.
Since the last one, anyway.
NEWS:Real humiliated in King's Cup
An omen of the wonderfully entertaining events to come were perhaps to be found in the tea leaves of TuesdayâÂÂs Madridista press, which featured the freebie-loving footballers at a promotional event for Audi the day before, accepting their sponsor-provided cars for the season.
The two Diarras selected the most expensive models worth around sâ¬160,000 each, while a more modest Arbeloa went for a cheeky Coupé costing a mere â¬51,290.
An enterprising TV station visited the car park at Alcorcón to compare these pimp-mobiles with the models owned by TuesdayâÂÂs Copa del Rey opponents.
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Unsurprisingly, the cars were a little less flashy, considering the average annual salary of a player in the Segunda B (third tier) outfit is â¬36,000 - â¬4,500 times smaller than Cristiano RonaldoâÂÂs pay-packet.
It was the set-up for the mother of all pratfalls and Real MadridâÂÂs pampered players duly obliged.
Tuesday's blog complained that the Copa del Rey was completely devoid of drama unless a team as utterly incompetent as Real Madrid stumble along and stuff things up completely.
The Castle Greyskull outfit were booted out of the tournament by Real UnÃÂon at this stage last season in a similar manner and - bless their satin socks - they look set to be following the same pathetic path, once again, against another lower-league outfit.
But Alcorcón can perhaps count themselves lucky to face a weakened Madrid side forced to field the likes of Benzema, Van der Vaart, Lady Gago and Raúl.
And they took advantage of their injury-ravaged opponents by going 3-0 up by half-time and finishing the match with four. And very nearly five. Without reply.
However, Raúl is very much with the stiff upper lip and claims that there is all to play for in the Bernabeu on November 10.
âÂÂIf thereâÂÂs any team that knows how to come back, itâÂÂs Madrid,â said the club captain, happily ignoring recent two-legged ties against Real UnÃÂon, Liverpool, Betis, Bayern Munich, Arsenal...
Unsurprisingly, the reaction to the 4-0 reverse in WednesdayâÂÂs Madridista press is less than sympathetic.
âÂÂA disgrace!â yells AS from the front cover, âÂÂthe joke of the century.âÂÂ
Inside, poor Tomás Roncero describes the game as âÂÂthe biggest humiliation I can remember in my 44 years of militant Madridismo.âÂÂ
The crackpot columnist then wails that âÂÂmillions of Madridistas were embarrassed in their homes.âÂÂ
La Liga Loca thinks that tantrum-tastic Tomás should count his blessings.
Real Madrid fans are normally humiliated at the Bernabeu. Or in bars. At least Tuesday night was more private.
MarcaâÂÂs main role in the post-match panic is to ensure that Florentino Pérez should not be blamed for any of the recent reverses suffered by his expensively-assembled side.
âÂÂGet out!â blasts the paperâÂÂs front cover on Wednesday over a picture of Third-Choice Chilean Manuel Pellegrini.
âÂÂMadrid havenâÂÂt played a decent, complete game of football all season,â notes Santiago Segurola inside.
Roberto Gómez agrees that the loss to Alcorcón was the worst in MadridâÂÂs history and is all with the told-you-so in his column, tucked away on page 12.
âÂÂThey called me anti-Madridista, anti-Valdano, anti-Pellegrini, but sadly time has proved that I was right,â ranted a not-sounding-sad-at-all Roberto.
âÂÂFlorentino has played his role,â grovels WednesdayâÂÂs editorial which comes THAT close to calling for his firing: âÂÂItâÂÂs Pellegrini who hasnâÂÂt fulfilled his requirements.âÂÂ
The Barcelona papers are - to be vulgar, but hey, this is Spain - p*ssing their pants with the hilarity of the situation.
And who can blame them?
âÂÂRidiculo Historico!â yells Sport with Josep Maria Casanovas writing that âÂÂthis is the beginning of the end for Pellegrini.âÂÂ
Mundo Deportivo are equally as jubilant with a front cover blasting âÂÂHumiliation!"
However, there is some light at the end of the tunnel for miserable Madridistas who need something to cheer them up after their latest humiliation.
Florentino Pérez is set to give a lecture to a university in Alicante on Wednesday night, on âÂÂthe management model of Real Madrid.âÂÂ
That's surely good for a few giggles to help turn those frowns upside down.
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