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Real Madrid may have beaten Plzen 2-1 on Tuesday evening in the Champions League but it’s done little, maybe nothing, to lift the gloom around the club right now.

The departures of club legends Zinedine Zidane and Cristiano Ronaldo in the summer would have been hard to brush aside even with a good start to the season, but Julen Loptegui has overseen the opposite.

With his future under serious doubt, the manager is probably best advised to avoid reading the Spanish media for the foreseeable future.

AS has an article on potential replacements in their Wednesday edition, and of course Mauricio Pochettino plays a big role.

A few days ago Marca claimed the Tottenham boss feels he’ll be able to leave in the summer, which provided some hope for those at Real Madrid who really want him.

AS seem to disagree, or at least aren’t so optimistic.

Once again the fearsome figure of Daniel Levy is brought out and it’s claimed Florentino Perez ‘dare not disturb’ his relationship with the Tottenham tough man, still scarred after the Gareth Bale negotiations.

This line is wheeled out repeatedly in Spain and is a good barrier for Spurs as they fight off interest in their manager and best players.