Football
8y

Cristiano Ronaldo should look at himself before criticising - Capello

Former Real Madrid coach Fabio Capello says Cristiano Ronaldo "maybe should have examined his conscience" before criticising his teammates after last weekend's derbi defeat to Atletico Madrid, saying the Portugal star had missed two chances to score during the game.

Real's hopes of winning La Liga suffered a huge setback as they lost 1-0 to their local rivals at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, and Ronaldo defended his own form after the game by saying Los Blancos would be top of the table if his teammates were all at his "level."

The forward, who later said he had been referring to his "physical level," had missed two clear chances in the second half, sending a shot wide when left unmarked 15 yards from goal and then sent a close-range header straight at Atletico goalkeeper Jan Oblak.

Capello, who managed Real Madrid in 1996-97 and 2006-07, told FOX Deportes that Ronaldo was not in an ideal position to criticise.

"Maybe we can agree with Cristiano and say that some players are not Real Madrid quality," Capello said in quotes reported by AS. "At the same time, Cristiano missed two key chances against Atletico Madrid, so before talking maybe he should have examined his conscience."

Ronaldo scored a penalty and assisted Isco's late clincher as Madrid beat Levante 3-1 in La Liga on Wednesday night, but the much-changed Los Blancos side suffered in defence at times.

TV images from during the game shown by Spanish station Cuatro appear to show centre-back Pepe complaining to international teammate Ronaldo that he was not working back enough, with Ronaldo seeming to reject his complaint.

After that game, Zinedine Zidane praised the effort shown by younger squad members including Lucas Vazquez, Casemiro and Borja Mayoral, adding that he expected a similar work rate from every member of his squad. 

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