Supporters want team to play artistic football rather than grind out wins
Real Madrid's supporters, who demand style as well as substance, have started jeering the champions despite a seven-match Spanish League winning run.
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Real defeated Racing Santander 1-0 on Saturday to keep the pressure on Barcelona, who are 12 points clear, but the manner of the victory - with Real closing up shop rather than going for a second - led to a chorus of disapproval at the Santiago Bernabeu.
"We didn't concede any goals and I don't think we bore the crowd," said Gonzalo Higauin. "The important thing is we won again and took three more points.
"We have to continue playing this well. It isn't easy to win seven consecutive games."
Higuain scored the only goal on 49 minutes and Real were hanging on at the death as Jonathan Perreira and Mario Zigic went close to equalising.
Under ex-coach Bernd Schuster, who was sacked in December, Real would have been streaming forward for a second, but Juande Ramos has brought a more cautious approach and thousands of fans flocked out of the turnstiles to show what they thought of the conservative approach.
"It was like a lot of our recent matches," explained Ramos. "We won which is great although we are finding it difficult to get that second goal.
"I think we had enough chances to score again and it would have allowed us to relax and play better. However, one big positive is the team kept a clean sheet and we got the three points."
Under Ramos, Real have become specialists at narrow victories and four out of their last five home matches have ended 1-0 leaving their fans craving more goals.
Even Racing coach Juan Ramon Lopez Muniz noticed a big change in style from the Schuster team.
"Real are not the same team as three months ago when they needed to score three goals to win," said Muniz. "They take their chances and when they need to close the game off they do."
The Bernabeu faithful have also turned on certain players with Roysten Drenthe and Marcelo coming in for harsh treatment.
Dutch winger Drenthe, 21, was booed when he came on as substitute against Deportivo La Coruna a fortnight ago and said it was something he couldn't forget.
"It was the worst day of my career," Drenthe said at the time.
"I understand the fans to a certain extent because I am not playing to the same level I was before but I am trying."
Brazilian Marcelo has also been jeered but insisted it did not faze him.
"It (the whistling) was not good for me," Marcelo explained. "I always try to do well; if they whistle it doesn't bother me."
The boos do not augur well for Ramos either who must be wondering what sort of criticism lies in wait when the winning sequence comes to an end.
Former Sevilla coach Ramos has a six-month contract to impress and will know that the Real fans want attractive football and results - not one or the other.
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