Ronaldo and other Real stars under pressure

After last weekend’s embarrassing 2-0 home defeat at the hands of Barcelona, not only have Real Madrid relinquished their slender lead at the top of La Liga but several of this week’s Spanish press and Real insiders are questioning the importance of no less than five of the team’s star players.

Not content with hiring a new coach and signing a boat load of the world’s greatest players last summer, several members of the Real board are urging club president Florentino Perez to re-jig his side once again. Earmarked for a swift departure from El Bernebeu are a handful of gems who could walk into most European club sides.

Karim Benzema. After arriving as part of Real‘s sensational summer spending spree, the future looked bright for Karim Benzema. But the optimism that surrounded Benzema‘s arrival has long since faded. Playing less like the next Zinedine Zidane and more like the current ballboy, Benzema has seven games to save his Real Madrid career.

Guti. A piece of the El Bernebeu furniture, Guti has been part of the Real set-up since he was eight years old. But after 25 years at the club, Guti‘s love affair with Madrid looks set to end. On the eve of El Clasico, Guti announced his intention to leave. Despite his strong performance against Barcelona, Guti‘s words have angered Real chiefs throwing into doubt any chance of a reconciliation.

Gonzalo Higuain. On the face of it, Higuain hasn’t put in such a bad shift this season. 24 goals in 25 games in La Liga sees the Argentine sit second in the scoring charts. But Saturday’s match against Barcelona confirmed what many critics already claimed, Higuain is a big game bottler. Missing for the entire 80 minutes that he graced the park, Higuain might find himself surplus to requirements when the Manchester Citys and Inter Milans of the world come knocking in a few weeks time.

Lassana Diarra. A familiar face to English fans having played for just about every club in the south during his few years in the country. Since falling out with coach Manuel Pellegrini earlier this season, Diarra hasn’t seen a minute’s action. But Diarra‘s prospects of a swift return to the first team look promising with rumours of Pellegrini‘s sacking refusing to go away.

Cristiano Ronaldo. Save the best for last. The world’s most expensive player has had a good first season in Spain but for the price Madrid splashed, good just doesn’t cut it. Proving not as decisive as expected, once again on Saturday Ronaldo was left wanting when pitted against a brawny all-action defender as was the case with Carles Puyol. With Sir Alex Ferguson still holding tight to his chest the Ronaldo fee received last summer, could the former Old Trafford icon be in line for a sensational return to the Theatre of Dreams?

Could Ronaldo be dreaming of Manchester?

Incidentally, Kaka has bizarrely escaped media criticism surrounding Madrid’s fall from the summit. Sure, he didn’t play on Saturday, but the Brazilian’s return of 7 goals in 21 La Liga appearances this season would wipe the smile off the most ardent of Madridistas.