Nacho Fernandez: Real Madrid will support Lopetegui ‘to the death’

Real Madrid players back under-pressure head coach Julen Lopetegui “to the death”, says Nacho Fernandez.

Madrid are on the club’s worst scoring run since 1985 having failed to find the net in four consecutive matches in all competitions.

Lopetegui oversaw a 1-0 loss at Deportivo Alaves before the international break, Madrid having also suffered a shock 1-0 reverse at CSKA Moscow in the Champions League.

A run of three losses in four games has piled pressure on the former Spain coach, with reports indicating Madrid are already considering Lopetegui’s future ahead of a Clasico clash with similarly out of form Barcelona on October 28.

Club captain Sergio Ramos has said it would be “crazy” to sack Lopetegui so early in his reign as the successor to Zinedine Zidane, who won a trio of Champions League titles before surprisingly resigning.

And Nacho, who like Ramos played under Lopetegui during his unbeaten spell in charge of Spain, has also lent his backing to the 52-year-old.

“We as players are with him to the death,” the defender told EFE.

“We are calm. We have been through situations like this and worse, and we’ve always been able to get out of them.

“I can’t guarantee we will win every title but Real Madrid have always proven that with the coach and players that we have, we will always be fighting for everything.

“We will be there until the end.”

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Lopetegui has suggested injuries have contributed to Madrid’s loss of form, with Isco and Gareth Bale among the key players to have been missing.

But Madrid are also seemingly struggling to adapt to the loss of Cristiano Ronaldo to Juventus, having only signed Mariano Diaz from Lyon to replace the Portugal superstar.

“At the start of the season we scored many goals and nobody remembered him,” Nacho said of Ronaldo’s absence. “He started at Juventus and didn’t score a goal and they said it was because he left Real Madrid.

“He was very important for us because he’d score 50 goals a season, but we are not to blame and we can’t feel sorry for ourselves and live in the past.”