Mourinho vs Real Madrid

missingtime

Thought this was a fascinating read:

There were just hours to go until Real Madrid's match against Athletic Bilbao and Madrid were about to finish the first half of the season five points clear at the top of the table with 16 wins in 19 games. Favourites to win the title, they were about to score their 67th goal and Cristiano Ronaldo would soon be on 23, one ahead of Leo Messi. But it was not about that all that. Not now and not later. It would not even be about the 4-1 win – a brilliant game, open, exciting and end-to-end, between two sides that can be great to watch. The focus was elsewhere. Even José Mourinho's focus was elsewhere. The team meeting at Madrid's Mirasierra Suites Hotel wasn't so much about formation as about information.

Mourinho wanted to know one thing above all and he wanted the players to know that he would find out. Who had plunged the knife in his back? Who had leaked a conversation from the training ground? Who was the mole? Mourinho claimed to have banned newspapers from the team hotel – "there is internet, you know", one player said with a smile later – and insisted that he had not read Marca on Sunday morning, but of course he had. Few coaches are so aware of the media as Mourinho, a man with his own press officer, a man who is delivered a dossier of cuttings every morning; one for whom the message is part of the match. Mourinho had read it, so had everyone else and it did not make for happy reading.

Marca's cover showed Mourinho and Sergio Ramos face to face. Word for word, they reproduced a conversation between the two men, and Iker Casillas, at Real Madrid's Valdebebas training ground on Friday morning – two days after Madrid, playing ultra-defensively, had again been beaten by Barcelona; two days after Ramos had noted: "We follow the coach's tactics. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't." According to Marca, the conversation started with Mourinho turning towards Ramos and saying: "You [plural] killed me in the mixed zone." To which Ramos replied: "No, mister, you only read what it says in the papers not everything we said."

Mourinho replied: "Sure, because you Spaniards have been world champions and your friends in the media protect you … and because the goalkeeper …" At that point there is a shout from Casillas, training 30 metres away: "Eh, mister, round here you say things to our faces, eh!"

Another part of the conversation starts with Mourinho saying: "Where were you on the first goal [against Barcelona], Sergio?"

"Marking Piqué"

"Well, you should have been marking Puyol."

"Yes, but they were blocking us off [using basketball style screens] with Piqué and we decided to change the marking."

"What? So now you're playing at being coach?"

"No," replies Ramos, "but depending on the situation in the game, sometimes you have to change the marking. Because you've never been a player, you don't know that that sometimes happens."

Suddenly, the lid had been lifted. Just a little, but lifted. The conversation – which was impeccably polite, Ramos even using the formal form of "you" – revealed Mourinho's irritation at the Spaniards and his belief that they are protected by the press; by extension, it hinted at his suspicion that they are the ones responsible for the leaks to the media – this report came in the context of a year in which El País's Diego Torres has written a number of stories about events within the dressing room and in a week in which Marca had correctly reported that Angel Di María would miss the clásico, despite the coach's attempts to keep that quiet.

From a player's point of view, it revealed the one flaw in Mourinho's long career: he was never a player. Somehow, he just doesn't know what they do. That is a feeling exacerbated by a mutual lack of comprehension, a sense of distrust and division, and by poor results against Barcelona. It also revealed something else, one of the greatest obstacles that Mourinho has encountered: Madrid is not Inter or Chelsea or Porto, the Spanish media are not the English or Italian media, and Spanish players are not the same as English ones, or Italians or Portuguese. One of Mourinho's greatest and most often lauded skill – dressing-room relations – has not been as easy to apply here.

It was not just the story itself that was interesting but the fact that it was published, how it was published and when it was published. After all, other stories have been written before. They were more easily (which is not to say honestly) dismissed; this story was not. The detail, the precision in the quotes, the specifics of it; the fearlessness with which it was put out and the silence with which it was met. Context is key, especially when the relationship between certain sections of the media and certain parts of the club is so instrumental. The shift was palpable. Columnists who were among Mourinho's most aggressive defenders had repositioned themselves. In the aftermath of the Barcelona defeat that was always likely. After Pepe's behaviour in the clásico – and the laughable, hostage-style video apology he was obliged to offer up on Thursday – it was more likely yet. But still the move was telling, hinting at a political realignment. And for Mourinho, that could be the most worrying thing of all.

Throughout Sunday, the story was chewed over; fans debated it, the media too. Not just the comments on the cover but the ones inside: the player complaining that Mourinho will not let them talk; the player insisting: "you got annoyed with Iker because he apologised to [Barcelona's] Xavi [after the Super Copa clásico], but what did Pepe do in that video?"; the player complaining that "it's impossible to win a game with eight defenders". The day before, El País had reported on the tensions between Mourinho and some players over the tactics; some players demanding a more expansive approach, Mourinho reproaching them for doing so.

The tension at the hotel grew. So, everywhere else, did the theories. It was hard not to go all conspiratorial. Who could it have been? And was Mourinho barking up the wrong tree? He was not the only one turning detective; everyone else was too. The assumption that it absolutely had to be a player seems flawed. Players have friends and agents. So do managers. And teams have people around them. Lots of people. Clubs do too, at all sorts of levels. Information is delivered in various forms and the form here was telling – this did not smell like whispers but something much more tangible. Marca's presentation of the conversations suggested not just that they had a story but that they had the proof that they had a story. Madrid, a club usually quick to deny, said nothing. After Sunday night's game, Mourinho would refuse to deny it. Three players would come out with the exact same phrase: "We're not here to say whether it's true or not." Anyone would think they are told what to say in the mixed zone.

Madrid versus Athletic Bilbao was presented as a plebiscite. On defeat to Barcelona. On Madrid's image under Mourinho. On the division – on whose side you were on, players or coach? On the signings, now down to Mourinho and of which only the substitute José Callejón has really succeeded. On Mourinho himself. By Sunday night, some at the Santiago Bernabéu decided, quite rightly, that the crime was not so much the leak as the content of the leak: the tension inside the dressing room, the defeats, the image of the club. And who was responsible for that? Mourinho. The question was what would happen next, where would this end?

The game was scoured for clues – was it significant that Ronaldo turned and gave Xabi Alonso a look that could kill? – and so was the starting lineup. Every action was analysed, counter-analysed and, let's face it, probably over-analysed. Mourinho left out five players who had played against Barcelona. Coentrão, Pepe, Carvalho, Lass, Higuaín, and Altintop. He included six who hadn't played against Barcelona: Ozil, Kaká, Marcelo, Arbeloa, Varane. Even Esteban Granero got a game. The lineup could not be any different; the polar opposite of what Mourinho had done in midweek: for virtually every hard-working but limited player taken out, a talented ball-player had been put in. You could see meaning in everything. Three Portuguese players had been taken out, two Spaniards put in. This was the team that some players had apparently demanded.

Had Mourinho given in? Or was he sticking them on the pitch knowing that it was almost a no-lose situation for him: if Madrid won, they won; if they lost, he could say: "see, that's what you get when we play your way." Had he also prevented the players from "making the bed" for him? They couldn't very well effectively down tools and turn him over precisely on the day that he did what they wanted. Or was he simply preparing for Wednesday night when there would now be no option but to attack Barcelona? Mourinho, normally so active, only left his bench once in the entire game – a game that had five goals, two penalties, a red card, and a couple more penalty shouts. Was that a clue too? Was he fearful of how the fans might react to him? Was he hiding? Or trying to keep a low profile? Was he trying to show his disconformities with the side he (?) had chosen, a kind of "this is your team, not mine"?

Or was he, as he insisted afterwards, just so confident that he never felt the need to get up and correct anything? Even though Madrid went 1-0 down and Athletic were the better side for the first half an hour.

There were many questions and few answers – least of all from Mourinho. There were, though, hints. Glimpses of a guerra civil. No more than hints perhaps, but hints nonetheless. When Granero was taken off on 72 minutes, the player who more than anyone else represented a shift in approach – the Madrid that Mourinho had turned his back on and some Spaniards had wanted – got a massive ovation. And then, with 10 minutes to go, it happened. The fans who had chanted Mourinho's name all season – something that has never happened for a coach before – chanted it once more.

Well, some of them did. More of them did not. In fact, they did the opposite. The Ultra Sur began chanting Mourinho's name. And the rest of the stadium – 30%? 50%? 80%? – whistled their disapproval.

It was not so much an attack on Mourinho per se as an attack on the decision to chant his name, to do it now, in this context, and with this backdrop. It was a symbol of disapproval of those that did so too – the Ultras who had chanted "Pepe, kill him!" and "Journalists, terrorists!" Divisions at Real Madrid had been laid bare. This time among the fans. And there was no escaping that there they were: whistles. Win on Wednesday and all will be right with Madrid's world again; Mourinho will be a genius again. Now, he is not. This has been perhaps his most difficult week as Madrid coach. Not that he admitted as much.

"Difficult? Why?" the coach asked. "I lost a game on Wednesday, I prepared one on Friday. Today we won. Tomorrow is Monday. Why is that hard? It is the first time that I have been whistled but it's not a problem. There is a first time for almost everything. If I had been whistled at Chelsea where they don't even whistle the opposition manager, it would be a problem. Here they whistled Zidane and Ronaldo and now Cristiano Ronaldo. This stadium whistles the best in the world – why shouldn't it whistle me?"

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2012/jan/23/mourinho-real-madrid-sid-lowe

AnCapaillMor

Madrid will always be idiots, can see them sacking him and then going in through 5 coaches in a 2 year period.

everdead.ie

It seems inevitable Jose is leaving I wonder where he'll go to though? I'm sure he'd have more than enough offers if he left Madrid.

AnCapaillMor

Mancini will be swiftly dumped on his ass and maureen will take over from him again.

Sgt Pepper 64

everdead.ie wrote: »

It seems inevitable Jose is leaving I wonder where he'll go to though? I'm sure he'd have more than enough offers if he left Madrid.

BLACKBURN

or



WOLVES

:D:D

kryogen

Good read.

everdead.ie

AnCapaillMor wrote: »

Mancini will be swiftly dumped on his ass and maureen will take over from him again.

Don't know if he'd fancy taking over if he wants to take over united after Ferguson.
There'd be offers from Germany though I'd say maybe Arsenal and Spurs, I'd say PSG might offer even though they just got ancelotti.
But I don't know about Italy or Spain the media there have given him a tough time in both places.

Mitch Connor

When Mourinho leaves Madrid, United and Fergie will have a decision to make imo. I think all 3 want Mourinho to be the next United manager, and it will be a matter of timing to see if it actually happens.

LuckyLloyd

So, he probably leaves at the end of the season. At that point the following scenario could be in play:

- City have been pipped for the title leaving Mancini ripe for dismissal;
- Dalglish has resigned at season's end after Liverpool's season peters out;
- Arsenal have missed out on CL football putting huge pressure on Wenger;
- Jupp Heynckes steps aside after steadying the ship at Munich;

I think there would be a mutual interest in any of the above scenarios tbh. He will only be out of work for long if he wants to be essentially.

MD1990

i think Mourinho has done a great job at Real
they have won 23 out of there last 25 games
only losing to twice to one the best teams of all time in Barcelona
they also have scored more goals after 19 Games (67 Goals) than anyone in the history of La Liga

shadowcomplex

Mitch Connor wrote: »

When Mourinho leaves Madrid, United and Fergie will have a decision to make imo. I think all 3 want Mourinho to be the next United manager, and it will be a matter of timing to see if it actually happens.

I reckon the plan is already in place for Mourinho to replace fergie, fergie said he will go in 3 years but he also said he it was a mistake to annonce his pending retirement the last time he did. I expect him to either go at the end of this or next season and Mourinho to then take over

kryogen

LuckyLloyd wrote: »

So, he probably leaves at the end of the season. At that point the following scenario could be in play:

- City have been pipped for the title leaving Mancini ripe for dismissal;
- Dalglish has resigned at season's end after Liverpool's season peters out;
- Arsenal have missed out on CL football putting huge pressure on Wenger;
- Jupp Heynckes steps aside after steadying the ship at Munich;

I think there would be a mutual interest in any of the above scenarios tbh. He will only be out of work for long if he wants to be essentially.

The Munich one is a genuine contender imo, I think JM wants to succeed Fergie and a couple of seasons in Munich would keep him occupied till that time comes.

Cant see Mancini getting the bullet even if they dont win the league tbh. He will get one more year either way I feel because of the progression of the team.

Liverpool is a non runner to me unless they promise Mourinho lots of cash, he would be making a long term career choice i.e. never managing United which seems to be one of his ambitions.

Again, with Arsenal unless they change the transfer policy and wage policy there I cant see him being interested

If he does leave Madrid in the summer he could actually do a lot worse then just take a year off, he has had a lot of change in the last few years of his life, country to country and uprooting his family each time.

Maybe settle for a year or two, he says his kids love England, so just move back to England and take some family time

Turtyturd

Mitch Connor wrote: »

When Mourinho leaves Madrid, United and Fergie will have a decision to make imo. I think all 3 want Mourinho to be the next United manager, and it will be a matter of timing to see if it actually happens.

Is there any basis to this idea other than people themselves thinking/wanting it?

Have read it from a lot of United fans who seem to think it's a sure thing and only a matter of time before it happens. Has Mourinho ever claimed he has ambitions to manage United?

shadowcomplex

Turtyturd wrote: »

Is there any basis to this idea other than people themselves thinking/wanting it?

Have read it from a lot of United fans who seem to think it's a sure thing and only a matter of time before it happens. Has Mourinho ever claimed he has ambitions to manage United?

YES

Giggsy11

kryogen wrote: »

The Munich one is a genuine contender imo, I think JM wants to succeed Fergie and a couple of seasons in Munich would keep him occupied till that time comes.

Cant see Mancini getting the bullet even if they dont win the league tbh. He will get one more year either way I feel because of the progression of the team.

Liverpool is a non runner to me unless they promise Mourinho lots of cash, he would be making a long term career choice i.e. never managing United which seems to be one of his ambitions.

Again, with Arsenal unless they change the transfer policy and wage policy there I cant see him being interested

If he does leave Madrid in the summer he could actually do a lot worse then just take a year off, he has had a lot of change in the last few years of his life, country to country and uprooting his family each time.

Maybe settle for a year or two, he says his kids love England, so just move back to England and take some family time

Best thing to do, if he leaves Madrid this season then he should take some time off before taking up any role.

kryogen

Turtyturd wrote: »

Is there any basis to this idea other than people themselves thinking/wanting it?

Have read it from a lot of United fans who seem to think it's a sure thing and only a matter of time before it happens. Has Mourinho ever claimed he has ambitions to manage United?

Yep

Caveman1

I think he'll end up back at Chelsea, maybe not at the end of this season but definitely in the near future

Giggsy11

Turtyturd wrote: »

Is there any basis to this idea other than people themselves thinking/wanting it?

Have read it from a lot of United fans who seem to think it's a sure thing and only a matter of time before it happens. Has Mourinho ever claimed he has ambitions to manage United?

While manager of Inter Milan in late 2009, Mourinho said: “I would consider going to Manchester United but United have to consider if they want me to succeed Sir Alex Ferguson. If they do, then of course.”

So Yes..

ironbluedun

Caveman1 wrote: »

I think he'll end up back at Chelsea, maybe not at the end of this season but definitely in the near future

It is hard enough to see him ending up back at chelsea. but i suppose he will end up in england, sooner or later, really there are only two possibilities and both of those clubs are close neighbours.

missingtime

I've said before that the ego in him would love to be the person who won the premier league with Liverpool.

It would be a different challenge to anything he is used to though as I don't think he would have the spending power of clubs he previously managed.

shadowcomplex

Caveman1 wrote: »

I think he'll end up back at Chelsea, maybe not at the end of this season but definitely in the near future

thats the last place he'd go

shadowcomplex

missingtime wrote: »

I've said before that the ego in him would love to be the person who won the premier league with Liverpool.

It would be a different challenge to anything he is used to though as I don't think he would have the spending power of clubs he previously managed.

Thats the 2nd last place he'd go

Pro. F

missingtime wrote: »

I've said before that the ego in him would love to be the person who won the premier league with Liverpool.

It would be a different challenge to anything he is used to though as I don't think he would have the spending power of clubs he previously managed.

Don't forget what he did at Porto. He won the EC and CL with a minnow of a club.

Turtwig

Never thought I'd say this but I kind of feel sorry for Mourinho. He's brought Madrid along in leaps and bounds, but its his obsession with beating Barca that's getting the better of him. Tactically he's came up short on several occasions. That's no fault of his, what people often fail to appreciate is that Guardiola is a tactically astute coach also and he just happens to have one of the greatest teams of all time to steer. Mourinho has the better squad. Pep has the better team. I just wish, he'd let Madrid come out and play against Barca. Other teams this season have put up more than a fight against Barca this season, but Madrid just retreat into their shells. Let's face it, Barca this season are below par by their excellent standard.

missingtime

shadowcomplex wrote: »

Thats the 2nd last place he'd go

Well if he prefers the Utd job then Liverpool is out of the question. And vice versa. Could be, and probably is, just a case where he is keeping his options open.

I don't think he would be too adversed to managing Liverpool. I think he has a lot of respect for the club and its fans.

Borat_Sagdiyev

missingtime wrote: »

Well if he prefers the Utd job then Liverpool is out of the question. And vice versa. Could be, and probably is, just a case where he is keeping his options open.

I don't think he would be too adversed to managing Liverpool. I think he has a lot of respect for the club and its fans.

missingtime

I'm in work at the moment, but there is a video on youtube of him applauding the liverpool fans after the chelsea game in champions league.

Caveman1

shadowcomplex wrote: »

thats the last place he'd go

Why would you say that?

Mitch Connor

Turtyturd wrote: »

Is there any basis to this idea other than people themselves thinking/wanting it?

Have read it from a lot of United fans who seem to think it's a sure thing and only a matter of time before it happens. Has Mourinho ever claimed he has ambitions to manage United?

Simply the way Mourinho talks about United and Ferguson, the way Ferguson talks about him, and talk in the media for the last couple of years that Mourinho wants to be the Man United manager. There has been talk for longer than that that it is an open secret at Old Trafford that Fergie, Gill and the board see Mourinho as the first choice replacement for him.

As I said on Goal.com last week, I think Mourinho will be the next United manager, either this summer or next, depending on what Ferguson wants to do.

LuckyLloyd

missingtime wrote: »

I'm in work at the moment, but there is a video on youtube of him applauding the liverpool fans after the chelsea game in champions league.

Yes, and his comments after that game indicated that he was quite moved by the experience. To be fair, the crowd were baying for blood that night, have never seen another atmosphere like it tbh.

Mitch Connor

Also, on the Liverpool talk - I don't see why he wouldn't go there. Sure, I do think he wants to manager Man United, but I don't think he wants that job at the expense of everything else and I don't think he will wait forever. If the United job is not available when he leaves Madrid, I don't think he would turn down Liverpool just for the chance United may be available 12 or 24 months down the line.

Liverpool are a massive club with a history to rival any club in football. They have been a shadow of their history for the most part of 20 years, you think Mourinho would not relish the idea of being the man to bring sustained success back to Anfield? I reckon he would also delight in the idea of beating United, with Liverpool, in a 'this is what you could have had' kind of way too.

missingtime

Mitch Connor wrote: »

Also, on the Liverpool talk - I don't see why he wouldn't go there. Sure, I do think he wants to manager Man United, but I don't think he wants that job at the expense of everything else and I don't think he will wait forever. If the United job is not available when he leaves Madrid, I don't think he would turn down Liverpool just for the chance United may be available 12 or 24 months down the line.

Liverpool are a massive club with a history to rival any club in football. They have been a shadow of their history for the most part of 20 years, you think Mourinho would not relish the idea of being the man to bring sustained success back to Anfield? I reckon he would also delight in the idea of beating United, with Liverpool, in a 'this is what you could have had' kind of way too.

I also think there is the whole rivalry between him and Benitez...If Mourinho won the league with Liverpool you can be sure he would rub Benitezs' face in it.

Neil3030

I said this to myself when I heard Sid Lowe on Football Weekly, and I'll say it again:

what the hell is a mixed zone?

LuckyLloyd

Neil3030 wrote: »

I said this to myself when I heard Sid Lowe on Football Weekly, and I'll say it again:

what the hell is a mixed zone?

Players mix with journalists there

missingtime

Neil3030 wrote: »

I said this to myself when I heard Sid Lowe on Football Weekly, and I'll say it again:

what the hell is a mixed zone?

The place where athletes meet with the media after they've finished competing at an event. The media generally conduct short interviews with the athletes here.
"Joe and Mike were sitting in the mixed zone, dreading what questions the media were going to ask them about the silly mistakes they'd made during the game."

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=mixed%20zone

Red Crow

The fans love Mourinho. The ultras love him. The whistles are common place when they lose. Mourinho will leave Madrid on his own accord and I don't see him leaving any time soon.

Also on the tactics issue. You often see Xabi Alonso drop back, almost as another center half allowing the full backs to move further up the pitch. This happens for Spain too. But while I think this is a tactic that Jose uses against smaller teams I think it creeps into bigger games too and that's perhaps why you would of saw Messi dropping much further back near his own half for a lot of that game despite how much of the ball Barca had in the Real Madrid half. Madrid came out the better team but finished second best. They were five at the back for a lot of that game with Pepe keeping tabs on Messi. Playing both Diarra and Pepe doesn't exactly scream out attack but it started off that way. Benzema works better in the middle that Higuain IMO and Ozil should of started instead but I wouldn't blame Jose for that. Barca force teams deep, the players know that. It's clear as day that Barca are always winning the mental battle between the clubs.

Turtyturd

Mitch Connor wrote: »

Also, on the Liverpool talk - I don't see why he wouldn't go there. Sure, I do think he wants to manager Man United, but I don't think he wants that job at the expense of everything else and I don't think he will wait forever. If the United job is not available when he leaves Madrid, I don't think he would turn down Liverpool just for the chance United may be available 12 or 24 months down the line.

Liverpool are a massive club with a history to rival any club in football. They have been a shadow of their history for the most part of 20 years, you think Mourinho would not relish the idea of being the man to bring sustained success back to Anfield? I reckon he would also delight in the idea of beating United, with Liverpool, in a 'this is what you could have had' kind of way too.

I don't think he will ever bring this anywhere. If he takes the United job I reckon their fans would be in for a completely different experience to what they have been used to over the last few years.

dfx-

missingtime wrote: »

I also think there is the whole rivalry between him and Benitez...If Mourinho won the league with Liverpool you can be sure he would rub Benitezs' face in it.

I'm pretty certain he has said before he'd never manage Liverpool.

Interesting to see if they win the league as they shouldand he leaves (which he very well might) with Marca and AS against him...would he consider that he achieved his goal of taking on Barcelona and winning?

eagle eye

Mourinho said he would manage Chelsea again in an interview, this was part of it.

"Manchester United would be a great challenge for me. But Liverpool is not the club for me. I know why, but I cannot tell you. Tottenham, Everton... Arsenal maybe. These are all fine clubs with very good managers.

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=817491&sec=europe&cc=5739

Turtwig

dfx- wrote: »

I'm pretty certain he has said before he'd never manage Liverpool.

Interesting to see if they win the league as they shouldand he leaves (which he very well might) with Marca and AS against him...would he consider that he achieved his goal of taking on Barcelona and winning?

Em, beating them by not beating them directly?

Thought this blog was interesting speculation. Honestly none of us know anything other than speculation but hey that's part of the fun of the game.
(Bolded important part for lazy readers )

If you believe the hype, Jose Mourinho is on his way out of Real Madrid. According to various reports and sources close to the Portuguese manager, he has had enough of dealing with the local press and the alleged discontent from the Spanish contingent in the dressing room and is ready to walk out at the end of this season.

Is this true? Yes and no.

I think he will quit the Santiago Bernabeu in June, but not for the reasons which have been circulating in the media over the last few days.

Let me start by explaining why there is tension at Real right now, ahead of Wednesday's Spanish Cup quarterfinal clash with great rivals Barcelona. Before this season started, the club’s sporting director Jorge Valdano was sacked. Mourinho didn’t see eye to eye with the Argentine and convinced Real president Florentino Perez that the team and the institution would be better without him.

This meant that the two-time UEFA Champions League winner had complete control of every football decision at the club. Not only was he in charge of tactics and the purchase of players, but he also had the independence to do and say whatever he wanted in the name of a club that has won the European title a record nine times - but not since 2002.

As great as this was for Mourinho, it didn’t please many senior members at Real Madrid, who believed he had proven to be too much of a loose cannon for his own good. They voiced their disapproval internally, but Perez stuck with his plan and gave Jose free rein.

There were various episodes this season which created more discontent among long-serving directors at Real: the eye-poking incident against Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup, the comments he made about wanting to return to England - and the back-to-back defeats to Barca in the league in December and then in last week's first leg of the cup quarterfinal. Not necessarily the results, but the defensive and aggressive way in which the team played did not please the institution. Portugal defender Pepe's stamp on the hand of Lionel Messi last Wednesday is one such example.

In my view, what has happened recently is that some people at the club have used their connections with local sports newspapers like Marca and As to persuade them to run stories about player discontent. The purpose, of course, is to increase the pressure on Mourinho and convince some of the fans that he is not as special as they once thought he was. These Real heavyweights have also probably encouraged some of the players to stand up for the old-school values of the club and take a stand against the manager.

So what about the reported row between Real defender Sergio Ramos and Mourinho, and the alleged dressing-room split between Spanish and Portuguese players? It is my belief that the argument happened, but I don’t read into it more than that. Mourinho is a manager who has always inspired and motivated his players, and even if there was unrest among a faction of the team, I would be shocked if they were to lead a mutiny against him.

After all, this is a side leading the Spanish league by five points, setting records for points and goals, and easily qualified for the Champions League knockout stages. So there is no real proof that the players are not behind their coach and that they will not continue to fight for him this season.

Which leads me to Mourinho’s future. Even though there is no obvious clue regarding what the former Porto, Chelsea and Inter Milan boss will do next, and even if there is no mutiny within the squad, I still sense he will leave Madrid at the end of this season.

The 48-year-old feels betrayed and also feels that all the work he has done is not being appreciated. He thinks the current Barcelona side is probably the best of all time and that if his rivals weren’t this good, he would comfortably be winning titles in Spain and Europe.

Therefore my prediction is he will leave Spain behind in June and move to England to manage Manchester City. I know it is a bold call, but I believe it will happen. Even if Mourinho wins La Liga or any other trophy in Madrid, he will satisfy his desire to return to England to take on a project that would be as challenging as any he has ever undertaken in his career. He would be the perfect choice to take over from Roberto Mancini, who will be sacked when City fail to win the Premier League title this season.

That’s my story and I am sticking to it.

Source.

CongoPowers

Eli Manning wrote: »

The fans love Mourinho. The ultras love him. The whistles are common place when they lose. Mourinho will leave Madrid on his own accord and I don't see him leaving any time soon.

the whistles were because of the ultras (a minority obviously) singing Mourinho's name, they weren't directed at the team. Madrid were coasting to victory at that stage.

I do agree he will leave rather than being sacked, though. Madrid have their hands tied in a way. the media are just trying to pressure him right now, which also suggests there are people inside the club who want him out, as certain journalists act as a mouthpiece for the club. (yeah, what jernal quoted)

Mourinho just needs to keep his head with all the criticism coming his way.

also, if Mancini didn't have City top of the league, I wouldn't be surprised if Mourinho went there at the end of this season, as he wouldn't have to build a new side the same way he would with other sides in England.

dfx-

Jernal wrote: »

Em, beating them by not beating them directly?

Well they could win in the Nou Camp yet..tomorrow even...would one win change that..

Play them eleven times and you win once or twice..

Bohrio

LuckyLloyd wrote: »

Yes, and his comments after that game indicated that he was quite moved by the experience. To be fair, the crowd were baying for blood that night, have never seen another atmosphere like it tbh.

They will forget if they beat barcelona tomorrow... or at least postpone the inevitable... most madrid fans dont like him

Turtwig

dfx- wrote: »

Well they could win in the Nou Camp yet..tomorrow even...would one win change that..

Play them eleven times and you win once or twice..

Don't think it would change anything. The "law of averages"* would suggest they'll win sometime. Mourinho has a dysmal record against Barca. For me at least, Madrid need to win either the Copa or Champions League along with La Liga to "defeat" Barca.


*Utter bs.

shadowcomplex

Caveman1 wrote: »

Why would you say that?

Because he was sacked by the meddling owner, he wouldnt be stupid enough to put himself in that position again

Warper

Mourinho's rep has been badly damaged by all the controversy he has brought to Madrid. His real temperament has been exposed now and it isnt pretty. His obsession with trying to beat Barca is killing him. There are only 2 scenarios i can see him leaving Real. First if he proves that Real have finally eclipsed Barca, this doesnt mean winning the League this season as his team has been firmly put in their place anytime they met Barca but rather something like Barca have been doing the past few seasons. The other reason is he is sacked.

He is not as attractive a manager as he was before he took over at Real. To hire him now is a major risk and potentially disastrous for the image of the club. Real's status has shot downwards since he took over and this is primarily down to him. I think that certain traditional clubs wouldnt want someone like Mourinho as their head coach.

shadowcomplex

Warper wrote: »

Mourinho's rep has been badly damaged by all the controversy he has brought to Madrid. His real temperament has been exposed now and it isnt pretty. His obsession with trying to beat Barca is killing him. There are only 2 scenarios i can see him leaving Real. First if he proves that Real have finally eclipsed Barca, this doesnt mean winning the League this season as his team has been firmly put in their place anytime they met Barca but rather something like Barca have been doing the past few seasons. The other reason is he is sacked.

He is not as attractive a manager as he was before he took over at Real. To hire him now is a major risk and potentially disastrous for the image of the club. Real's status has shot downwards since he took over and this is primarily down to him. I think that certain traditional clubs wouldnt want someone like Mourinho as their head coach.

Are you kidding me? Mourinho has transformed real madrid into a great very consistent team, getting beat by barca isnt a disgrace because the are the best club team ever and messi, xavi and ineista are the 3 best players in the world that get even more from each other by playing together.

And Reals imagine, this is another joke right? Real Madrid have never had a great image, they are cocky bullys that think they can do what they like,they have been bailed out finacially so many times by the king of spain

LuckyLloyd

Warper wrote: »

Mourinho's rep has been badly damaged by all the controversy he has brought to Madrid. His real temperament has been exposed now and it isnt pretty. His obsession with trying to beat Barca is killing him. There are only 2 scenarios i can see him leaving Real. First if he proves that Real have finally eclipsed Barca, this doesnt mean winning the League this season as his team has been firmly put in their place anytime they met Barca but rather something like Barca have been doing the past few seasons. The other reason is he is sacked.

He is not as attractive a manager as he was before he took over at Real. To hire him now is a major risk and potentially disastrous for the image of the club. Real's status has shot downwards since he took over and this is primarily down to him. I think that certain traditional clubs wouldnt want someone like Mourinho as their head coach.

wat

aidan24326

The United job is the one he wants. Replacing Fergie as the King of Old Trafford is pretty much the only job left that would satisfy his massive ego. He won't go back to Chelsea and definitely won't go to Liverpool unless they got a massive cash injection, which isn't on the cards at the moment. He's one of the few managers with a big enough peronality to take over from fergie without feeling intimidated, so he'd be the logical choice I think.

carlop

Eli Manning wrote: »

The fans love Mourinho. The ultras love him. The whistles are common place when they lose. Mourinho will leave Madrid on his own accord and I don't see him leaving any time soon.

Also on the tactics issue. You often see Xabi Alonso drop back, almost as another center half allowing the full backs to move further up the pitch. This happens for Spain too. But while I think this is a tactic that Jose uses against smaller teams I think it creeps into bigger games too and that's perhaps why you would of saw Messi dropping much further back near his own half for a lot of that game despite how much of the ball Barca had in the Real Madrid half. Madrid came out the better team but finished second best. They were five at the back for a lot of that game with Pepe keeping tabs on Messi. Playing both Diarra and Pepe doesn't exactly scream out attack but it started off that way. Benzema works better in the middle that Higuain IMO and Ozil should of started instead but I wouldn't blame Jose for that. Barca force teams deep, the players know that. It's clear as day that Barca are always winning the mental battle between the clubs.

Speaking to Madrid fans daily, a lot of them have turned against Mourinho, and it seems only the Ultras Sur still seem to be supporting him.

The average Real Madrid fan tends to be both fickle and delusional when it comes to football. It doesn't matter if I point out to them that they are 5 points clear of the greatest side in history and still in the Cup and the CL. They demand to win in style and nothing else will do. Don't forget this has happened to Capello there twice already.

For some reason they seem to have this idea that they were loved, both in Spain and abroad, before Perez took over as owner for the first time, and they want to return to this state of affairs which can't be done under Mourinho.

Tusky

Good article.

There were just hours to go until Real Madrid's match against Athletic Bilbao and Madrid were about to finish the first half of the season five points clear at the top of the table with 16 wins in 19 games. Favourites to win the title, they were about to score their 67th goal and Cristiano Ronaldo would soon be on 23, one ahead of Leo Messi. But it was not about that all that. Not now and not later.

Typo or am I going mad?