Santiago Solari: Title Race 'Not at All' over Despite Real Madrid Loss to Girona

Real Madrid boss Santiago Solari refused to say his side is out of the title race in La Liga despite slipping nine points behind Barcelona after a shock 2-1 defeat at home to Girona on Sunday.

Los Blancos led at the Santiago Bernabeu thanks to Casemiro, but a Cristhian Stuani penalty and a winner from Portu earned Girona the much-needed three points, while Sergio Ramos was sent off late on for a second bookable offence.

Per ESPN's Dermot Corrigan, when asked if Real were out of the title race, Solari said: "Not at all. We are still fighting on three fronts. Next week we have another game, our rivals too. Every game is difficult. It does not matter where the rival is in the table. We saw that today. So we must try to win again to close the gap."

Real face Barca in La Liga's second Clasico of the season on March 2, and they will need to perform much better to get the result they need in what is a must-win game.

It would perhaps come as little surprise if Los Blancos did raise their game for Barca's visit.

As football journalists Euan McTear and Ben Hayward observed, Real tend to struggle more in the less important matches:

Beating the Catalan side could only reduce the deficit to six points, though, which would still be a sizeable gap to make up, so Real's title chances look slim.

They are set to face Levante in their next league outing, and they will have to do so without Ramos.

The defender gave away the penalty with a handball to block a shot from going in, and he was booked again in the final minutes when an attempted overhead kick connected with Pedro Alcala.

Solari refused to criticise his captain, however:

It's a hazard Ramos has encountered more than most in his career, per Squawka Football:

The manager also defended left-back Marcelo's performance, saying he "played well," per Corrigan.

ESPN's David Cartlidge felt the Brazilian was a weak link, however:

The defender was making his first start in La Liga since January 6, but he was at fault in the buildup to both goals.

He failed to cut out a cross into the box that led to the penalty, and his slow reactions allowed Portu to head in at the back post.

If Real are to get back into the title race, they need the likes of Ramos and Marcelo to step up, particularly in matches wherein proceedings are going against them.

Solari may not be willing to criticise them publicly, but he needs to do whatever it takes to coax the best out of them in the coming months.