Fabio Capello’s new-look Real Madrid side gave fans that sinking feeling they’ve become so accustomed to as the Spanish giants were easily brushed aside by French champion Lyon in the Champions League on ednesday. John Carlin of The Independent says David Beckham and company look no closer to a winning formula despite wholesale changes in the off-season. In fact, he opined, it just might be time for Beckham to hang up his boots and “go into semi-retirement in America.” He added that 5-0 would have been a fairer result (it could have easily been 5-0 after the first half), and the entire Real outfit looked “sadder, duller, more hopeless and adrift than they did even during the fin-de-galactico chaos of last season.” Ouch. Despite a poor performance from the likes Mahamadou Diarra (the former Lyon player), Fabio Cannavaro and Roberto Carlos in particular, it is way too early in the season to write a team as big and formidable as Real Madrid off after just three games. The Merengues have come back from poor performances in the Champions League before. In 2004 and 2005, Real lost both of its opening matches 3-0 away and still managed to qualify for the tournament’s next phase. It may very well be another disappointing season at the Bernabeu, but despite an awful performance yesterday (it really was bad) it’s still too early to tell.