Luxemburgo says he warned Real about squad weaknesses

Real Madrid coach Vanderlei Luxemburgo has complained about the lack of balance in his squad and said he warned club officials about the team's weaknesses when he took charge at the end of last year.

"I knew this squad would have problems facing up to playing on Sundays and Wednesdays and I said that to (director of football Arrigo) Sacchi and (vice-president Emilio) Butra-gueno," the Brazilian said.

"We don't have a squad that is balanced enough to play so many matches in tough competitions. I would like to change the positions of some of the players but I just can't do it."

Luxemburgo, who is the third coach in charge of Real this season, got off to an excellent start when he steered his new side to a seven-match winning streak at the start of the year.

At the same time Real signed Denmark international Thomas Gravesen from Everton during the January transfer window in an attempt to add some steel to their attack-minded midfield which contains Zinedine Zidane, Luis Figo and David Beckham.

But league leaders Barcelona withstood the pressure and Real dropped off the pace once more after costly defeats against Athletic Bilbao, Deportivo and Getafe.

Real are now 11 points behind Barcelona in the standings with just nine games to play. The two sides meet at the Bernabeu on April 10.

Barren season

Eliminated from both the King's Cup and the Champions League, Real face the prospect of a second successive season without winning a major trophy, something that has not occurred since 1992.

Luxemburgo dismissed suggestions that one of the reasons why the team had failed to live up to expectations was that he had been told that the club's high-profile players had to feature in the side on a regular basis.

"No one from the club, not even the president himself, has told me that Beckham has to play or Ronaldo has to play," he said.

And despite the setbacks Luxemburgo said he was confident he could turn things around at the club.

"I have absolutely no doubt that I can do well at Real because my teams have always been competitive, agg-ressive and have played good football."