Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho is at the centre of a row after slating his own team on the eve of the Champions League clash with Manchester City.
Mourinho blasted his side after they slumped to their second defeat in four La Liga games this term which left them eight points adrift of leaders Barcelona.
The Portuguese claimed he 'didn't have a team' following the 1-0 reversal to Sevilla, comments which have riled former Madrid president Ramon Calderon.'Mourinho's comments don't help the team in any way. The players could just as easily say that they don't have a coach right now,’ Calderon stated to RAC1.
'It would be better to see these losses as incidents. I imagine that the players are not too happy with Mourinho's comments.
'I believe that the team is fully committed to the team. The players are giving their all out there on the pitch.'
Mourinho has been forced onto the defensive early into his third season at the Bernabeu with the future of Ronaldo at the heart of much speculation.
He was probed on Saturday night about the relationship between Ronaldo's mood and the team's performance.
Mourinho has been forced onto the defensive early into his third season at the Bernabeu with the future of Ronaldo at the heart of much speculation.
He was probed on Saturday night about the relationship between Ronaldo's mood and the team's performance.
'I do not think it has anything to do with it,' he said.
'Today's match was no different from those against Getafe and Granada, which we won.
'So I don't think that the rumours of the last couple of weeks have anything to do with it.
'It is about a state of mind and of two or three who aren't thinking like the rest.
'They are the minds of players who are not committed and for whom football is not a priority in their lives.
'There aren't many involved and it's complicated, but I'm coach and if there are those less committed, then it is my fault.'
The Premier League champions travel to the Spanish capital on Tuesday desperate to put in a better performance in the tournament than they did last season when they failed to get out of their group.
And City boss Roberto Mancini has acknowledged the European opener is his biggest game since he took over at the Etihad Stadium in December 2009.
'It's a fantastic moment for everyone at the club,' he said. 'When you play against Real Madrid, they are the history of football for 100 years. They have won everything.
'Real Madrid don't have only Cristiano Ronaldo - the best player in the world with Lionel Messi - but they have 18 top players.
'I think these can be incredible moments in the career of every player, because we play against a team with 100 years of history.'