Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane has shared his views on Ernesto Valverde getting the sack at fierce rivals FC Barcelona this week.
Despite sitting at the top of the LaLiga standings, Valverde was relieved of his duties on Tuesday night with just six months left on his contract.
Zidane insists he feels sorry for Valverde and says coaches at Los Blancos and Barcelona face a different pressure to other managers.
"I'm not going to get into whether or not I understand it. I'm sorry for him," Zidane was quoted as saying by AS.
"He's a coach who has shown how good he is, and I have a lot of respect for him.
"As coaches at clubs like Real Madrid and Barcelona, we know where we're at and that isn't going to change.
"If I lose a couple of games I'm going to get criticised, as I did a month a half ago. You can only try to give 100%. I'm sorry for Valverde."
