Embarrassed...AGAIN!!!

Not as bad as losing to a 3rd division club, but very close when you take everything into consideration.

Real Madrid is out of the running for another title, and you can bet that it's all downhill from here.

Madrid tied 1x1 with Lyon last week and have been eliminated (aggregate goals 1x2 for Lyon) from the Champions League again in the knockout stages. They started out fast with a goal from Cristiano Ronaldo at the 5 minute mark, and after missing some clear scoring opportunities, Lyon scored the equalizing goal in the 75th minute that eventually sent them through to the next round.

My thoughts?

It's only a matter of time before Madrid's coach, Manuel Pellegrini, gets kicked to the curb. Madrid is still in the fight for the Spanish League title, so as long as it stays that way, he might finish out the season, but any more slip-ups, he'll get fired for sure. Don't get me wrong...he's a decent coach, and probably the right man for this transition phase Real Madrid is going through. It's also  unfair to expect he would build a "Barcelona-like" squad in only 6 months. With that said, WHAT WAS HE THINKING TAKING OUT KAKA, OUT OF ALL PLAYERS, FOR VAN DER VAART? LAST TIME I CHECKED, KAKA IS ONE OF THE BEST PLAYERS IN THE WORLD, AND VAN DER VAART WAS BARELLY PART OF THE SQUAD!!! If Kaka couldn't do anything in that game, what made Pellegrini think Van Der Vaart was going to do better?

And what can I say about Higuain...PASS THE DAMN BALL!!! WHY DID PELLEGRINI INSIST ON HIGUAIN??? Soccer is a team sport, but you can blame this one on him. He had an open net chance after dribbling past the keeper, but he managed to hit the post, and then he shot the ball in a play where Ronaldo was right next to him, in front of an open net if he had gotten the ball. This is why Real Madrid will most likely transfer him after this season.

As for the other players, DON'T WRITE CHECKS WITH YOUR MOUTHS THAT YOUR FEET CAN'T CASH! All the talk about how "no one comes into the Bernabeu to beat us" and "we'll beat them 3x0" just gave Lyon the extra motivation to go out and do what they did. I've said this before and I'll say it again: Until Madrid gets a coach who will put all of the Spanish players in their place by telling them the team belongs to Kaka and Ronaldo, and that they all must play for the 2 FIFA WORLD PLAYERS, this club is never going anywhere. I'm talking about taking control out of the hands of these Spanish players, as it was done with Raul, and giving it to the coach, so he and other players can do their jobs, without worrying about these Spanish players throwing them under the bus.

As for a new coach, the names Jose Mourinho and Rafa Benitez are beginning to get mentioned as the next possible coach for Madrid. Mourinho is the right man for the job in my opinion. He has the guts to do whatever is necessary to win, regardless of the backlash. As he did with Chelsea, Kaka will be his Lampard and Ronaldo will be his Drogba! He'll tell everyone else to get out of the way of those two, regardless how big of a star the other players are. This is what has to happen for Real Madrid to regain their dominance in European competitions.

How much will it hurt Real Madrid to see Barcelona win another Champions League,  and this time, AT THE BERNABEU?