Makelele and Benito: Real Madrid's problem isn't the referee

Real Madrid lost the Madrid derby 2-1 to Atletico Madrid, and two ex-players say the referee was not the cause. Claude Makelele and Álvaro Benito both pointed to problems in the side that predate Sunday.

The match was full of disputed decisions. Mundo Deportivo lists two possible red cards for Atletico players that went unpunished, and the sending-off of Huijsen, which shaped the rest of the game.

Makelele, a former Real Madrid player, spoke to GOAL. He said: "There is no understanding between the players, or between the players and the coach. Mourinho needs to talk to them." He went on: "The team is weak, there's no game plan or clear ideas. There's absolutely nothing. We have to demand more from them."

On the blame placed on the officials, he said: "The problem isn't the referee; there's a clear deficiency in the team."

Benito, speaking on the Cadena SER broadcast of the match, took a longer view.

Benito added that the red card was not the whole story either. His concern, he said, was the team's approach and which players start most days.

Yahoo Sports notes that Mourinho now has the international break to work with.