Raul retains faith in Pellegrini

Real Madrid forward Raul has come out in defence of coach Manuel Pellegrini in the wake of the club's embarrassing Copa del Rey exit at the hands of minnows Alcorcon on Tuesday night.

Seeking to overturn their humiliating 4-0 first-leg loss against their third tier neighbours from just south of the capital, Madrid could only manage a 1-0 victory in the return meeting at a full Bernabeu.

The fans were not slow to vent their anger, jeering their side off at both half-time and full-time, and Pellegrini also found himself under heavy fire for substituting the impressive Lassana Diarra midway through the second half.

The Madrid fans responded by waving white handkerchiefs in protest and calling for Pellegrini's head, but Raul believes the former Villarreal coach will turn things around.

"Real Madrid has managed to pull through several complicated situations in its history," Raul said. "When things don't go well there isn't just one person in particular who's to blame; it's all of us.

"We still have faith in the coach and in his work. He is capable of getting us out of this with his ideas. The crowd was disappointed and we are all to blame for that."

The 32-year-old added that Pellegrini had managed to get his players pumped up for Tuesday's match but ultimately the first-leg deficit proved insurmountable.

"We felt powerless yesterday, but I think we had great spirit when we took the pitch," he said. "We looked to score the opener and grew anxious when we failed to do so. Alcorcon played their game, while ours lacked flow.

"We are frustrated about that. We made a bad impression and earned a bad result. You can imagine I didn't sleep too well last night after what happened yesterday."

He added: "It's hard for things to work out at the start of a new project. We are a team in constant evolution with many new players who need time to adapt.

"It may be taking too long, but we have faith in the coach and we won't give up. We must continue to work hard because we know we can do better."

It was a night to forget for both Madrid and Pellegrini, but the Chilean remains confident of good times ahead for the big-spending Spanish giants.

"Everyone can made their own judgments, we were knocked out by a team from the Segunda B, we can feel regret, but it's already over," said Pellegrini.

"I have no doubt that the players are with me. It's difficult to overcome a 4-0 deficit because you are playing against many factors. I would've liked to continue (in the cup) but we are at the start of a season that I'm sure is going to be very good."

Pellegrini put out strong sides for both legs of the tie and last night employed four forwards - Raul, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Gonzalo Higuain and Kaka - from the outset.

It was not enough, but Pellegrini insists he was happy with the side he selected for the clash.

"I don't regret the line-up," he continued. "I think they were the players who had to play. I've said it from the start: I have faith in the whole squad, not just in a team."