MADRID, April 11 (Reuters) - 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."