Winning start for Ramos at Real Madrid

New real Madrid Coach Juande Ramos made a winning start to his tenure when Real Madrid defeated UEFA Cup champions Zenit St. Petersburg 3-1 on Thursday evening.

Just months after departing an ailing Tottenham Hotspur, Ramos finds himself in charge of the richest football club in the world. While his win on debut will have boosted the confidence of the beleaguered Real Madrid side, Ramos and his men will face a far sterner test this weekend in La Liga.

Just one week after losing to Sevilla, Real Madrid will be heading to the Camp Nou to take on arch-rivals Barcelona in the 'Clasico'. Despite the significant step up in the quality of the opposition, Ramos is confident that his club has what it takes to beat high-flying Barca.

"I liked the players' performance,” Ramos told reporters after watch his club qualify for the knockout rounds of the Champions League. “This will raise the team's morale as all the players worked hard to give a good account of themselves. They all had a great attitude - they wanted to play a good game and please the fans.”

"I see that the players are keen to turn the situation around. They've shown me that they want to improve quickly and that they'll do everything in their power to achieve it."