Real Madrid players do not want to lose underfire coach Bernd Schuster.

While the German's recent behaviour has left the squad perplexed, the prospect of seeing him sacked is not being entertained.

Asked about Real director Miguel Angel Portugal succeeding Schuster as caretaker coach, one player told AS: "That would be a joke."

He continued: "It's easy to beat the boss, but you have to look higher to find errors. We suffered a lot with this team last season and we needed reinforcements and this has not been fulfilled."