Santiago Solari Dismisses Real Madrid Resignation Talk After Ajax UCL Exit

Real Madrid manager Santiago Solari has dismissed the prospect of resigning from his position following his side's humiliation at the hands of Ajax in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday. 

Los Blancos were in a strong position to qualify in the second leg of their last-16 tie, having battled to a 2-1 win in Amsterdam. However, they were given the runaround at the Santiago Bernabeu by a vibrant Ajax outfit, losing 4-1 on the night and 5-3 on aggregate.

Afterwards, Solari was asked about his position but said he wouldn't be walking away, per Pete Jenson of the Daily Mail.

"I'm here to work. We have to be professional and come back to work tomorrow," he said. "I have not come here to take on such a difficult moment at the club to then give up."

Dusan Tadic was the star man for the visitors on a historic night (U.S. only):

Solari was also asked after the game if he expected Real Madrid to sack him. "That's not a judgement I should make," he added. "Tomorrow we get back to training. We have a league game at the weekend. We all have the obligation, a professional duty and because of our hearts we owe to this team to come and train tomorrow and give our best."

While Solari was measured in his assessment of matters after the game, pitchside following the final whistle Real Madrid right-back Dani Carvajal offered a much more emotional response, per Dermot Corrigan of ESPN; warning, contains NSFW language:

Given Real Madrid's dominance in the competition in recent years—they've won the last three Champions League prizes in succession, and four of the last five—the manner of their exit was shocking.

Despite falling behind early on, it was anticipated they would find a way to recover given their experience. But with their captain Sergio Ramos suspended and no Cristiano Ronaldo to depend on for goals, they wilted.

Solari will take plenty of flak for this result, although the issues at Madrid emerged before he stepped in earlier in the campaign. Not only did they fail to adequately replace Ronaldo in the summer, former manager Julen Lopetegui was unable to make his impression on the team before receiving his marching orders.

Spanish football journalist Andy West doesn't think they should axing Solari now:

David Cartlidge doesn't believe the current boss represents an upgrade on his predecessor:

Tuesday's loss made it three consecutive defeats for Real in all competitions, with two home losses to bitter rivals Barcelona preceding the Ajax collapse. The results mean Los Blancos are almost certain to end the season without a trophy.

It also means the team can start planning for the summer and the 2019-20 season in the remaining weeks of this term. Regardless of the issues he inherited, it would be a surprise if Solari was in the hotseat come the first day of next season.