'We are not hiding. We the players are primarily responsible and I, as captain, more than anyone'
Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos took to Twitter on Monday to discuss some of the recent controversies that have surrounded him and the European champions as their season fell apart within the space of a week.
The defender asked himself various questions on the social networking site after Madrid suffered elimination from both the Copa del Rey and Champions League, as well as falling 12 points behind leaders Barcelona in La Liga.
"Recent events have been disastrous and I'm not hiding. We are not hiding. We the players are primarily responsible and I, as captain, more than anyone," wrote Ramos.
"That's why I thought that the most honest way to answer the questions that are circulating around us would be to tackle them directly."
Ramos said he was "200 percent" to blame for getting himself deliberately suspended for the second leg of the Champions League last 16 clash with Ajax Amsterdam, which Madrid lost 4-1 last Tuesday, being knocked-out 5-3 on aggregate.
Ramos was at the Bernabeu that night being filmed as part of a documentary series for Amazon, provoking some criticism from supporters.
"There are certain commitments made and it never remotely went through my head that the game could have turned out as it did," explained Ramos. "The recording itself was scaled down as the game went on."
The defender also said the squad would not have an influence on coach Santiago Solari's future, with the Argentine expected to be sacked on Monday per Spanish reports.
"It's a decision that's not ours to make and in which we never interfere," added Ramos. "We have enormous respect for the position and we always support the Real Madrid coach."
Five talking points from the weekend's EPL
Solari in the dark on Real Madrid future
Champions League preview: Time for Coutinho to raise his game
What will we achieve by boycotting Pakistan in World Cup?
Pathan's healing touch for J&K via cricket