Real Madrid vice-president Eduardo Fernandez de Blas has made clear that the club must do everything to defend Jose Mourinho from unjustified criticism.

The Portuguese trainer has been at odds with a section of the Santiago Bernabeu faithful, as well as the media, after recent poor results saw the Spanish champions fall 11 points behind Barcelona in La Liga and finish second behind Borussia Dortmund in Group D of the Champions League.

However, speaking at Madrid’s supporters Christmas dinner, Fernandez de Blas insisted that respect must be shown to the two-time Champions League winner.

“There’s an obligation to defend both our players and our coach, Jose Mourinho, because he’s the best in the world,” the vice-president declared empathically before proceeding to talk about the club’s ambitions for the rest of the season.

“We hope to keep doing big things and we’re all excited by possibility to win the Champions League this season.”

Real Madrid lock horns with Espanyol on Sunday night hoping to close down the gap on league leaders Barcelona, who face Atletico Madrid on the same day.