In case you missed it, the boss' words were as follows:"Ramón Calderón has told me that even if we do not win the league, I will continue at Real Madrid because this is a project and we are building a team.
"We are now waiting for the second half of the plan to be put into action this summer and, anyway, I am convinced that we will win the league.
"I have the complete confidence of my president and I do not need anything more."
You can see the logic. It wasn't too long ago that received wisdom in the Spanish press was that Frank Rijkaard (and Ronaldinho) would have their desks and lockers at Camp Nou cleared by New Year's Day. Now that Madrid are struggling too, it's Bernd's turn to be linked with the chop.
But rumours of discontent from within the Bernabeu itself, not just the offices of Spanish journalists, are becoming slightly less muted. And these could render Bernd's words somewhat premature.
What's Going Wrong?
Well, there's the obvious. Madrid are inconsistent.
They're out of the Champions League and the Copa - more on that later - but despite Barcelona's repeated stumblings in the Liga, they're not yet home and dry domestically, either. Indeed, they've lost as many as they've won since the New Year, give or take, and a run-in without Ruud van Nistelrooy is looking very bleak indeed.
Sure, Bernd's had injuries to deal with - but so have Barcelona, Sevilla, Valencia, Atletico Madrid... most teams, in fact, except Villarreal and Racing Santander, who have managed once again to keep their squads largely intact for the entire season. (But that's a subject for another day.)
Off the pitch, he's far from popular with the media, and there is talk that the president is starting to lose confidence in the man, so much so that Marca - hardly an organ of dissent and insubordination, at least not usually - claims that president Calderon told sporting director Predrag Mijatovic in apparent confidence that "something has to change, or we're sunk." Even Bernd's official website found room to criticise him, Marca gleefully added, leaving one to wonder exactly who is on the coach's side.
'Even If We Win'
Of course, despite these problems, the fact remains that Madrid are on course for a Liga title, and only a spectacular collapse will see them fail to get it. As such, the "I'll remain even if we lose" part of Schuster's declaration seems a little bit redundant.
In fact, it's not.
Whether or not Schuster stays at the Bernabeu after the league comes to an end and the smoke clears is probably not contingent on the state of the Liga. Fabio Capello, after all, masterminded a brilliant comeback last season (ably helped by Barcelona's inability to stop leaking goals, of course), yet despite his hoisting the trophy aloft on the final day, he was out on his ear.
The only achievement that could have absolutely guaranteed his presence next season was the Double, but the Champions League dream is - again - in tatters. Even a Copa double was a bridge too far. The Liga? It's esential, but it's almost a formality. It'll always be essential, and winning it with the current squad will be seen as a bare minimum.
In the end, the results probably won't mater. Instead, what will make or break Schuster's Madrid career is not the final destination, but the way he gets there.
Attitude Adjustment
In this sense, it may be time for the fiesty German to show a bit of humility.
We're debated before about Bernd's attitude towards the press (see our March 6th article here) but some facts bear repeating. He is not liked by many. While he is without a doubt an intelligent man - and blessed with a dry sense of humour - he has alienated more than a few already with his outbursts. Even his allies in the media wouldn't have taken kindly to his walking out on a press conference after a near-miss at Recreativo.
On the pitch, it's also time for him to rethink things a little. Against Valencia, two moments of magic from Raul gave his side the goals, but without Ruud van Nistelrooy, they looked largely toothless otherwise. Royston Drenthe and Roberto Soldado - two players with so much to prove, but so little time - sat idly by as the match cried out for some dynamicism on the flank and a predator in the box. Again, maybe this comes down to humility: Bernd has made it 110% clear that he doesn't rate Soldado, but when you lack your spiritual 'number 9', it's maybe time to give your actual number 9 a chance.
It may have come too late. Soldado, to continue with his example, is demoralised, and although he is thus unlikely to speak out in support of his coach, his revelation that it's Manolo Ruiz who does the technical talking is a telling one. While Schuster is no doubt correct to maintain an aloof air - being friends with your players is seldom a good idea, after all - the idea that he is disconnected from them is questionable, particularly at such a crucial time. How much can he really be involved in a recovery if his isn't the voice that makes everyone sit up and pay attention? Even after the horrible defeat at Deportivo, it was apparently Raul and Guti that were most vocal in the post-mortem, and not the coach.
Correct Decision?
So, it's maybe not quite as clear cut as Bernd is putting across.
Yet there is something sympathetic about his words. Real Madrid are, or at least should be, looking to build for the future, rather than undertaking slap-dash shopping sprees and having to make new managerial appointments each summer. Sticking with the devil they know could at least give the team a bit of consistency heading into next season.
It might also help to give Bernd a bit more input into transfer matters. It seems that he was to a huge extent lumbered with some last-minute additions to the squad, as well as a couple of youngsters whom he didn't really want. A more coherent transfer strategy all round would help Madrid enormously, and being able to sit down in the weeks before the transfer window opens - even before Euro 2008 - with the manager, sporting director, technical secretary and president all in the same room, rather than one of them yet to be employed, would be of huge benefit.
But it may just be too late for all that.
