Mourinho and Cristiano: Quarrel at the locker room

Cristiano Ronaldo had a clash with Jose Mourinho, coach of Real Madrid, after the meeting that the white team played against Valencia, corresponding to the quarterfinals of the Spanish Cup (Copa del Rey), because of a series of decisions that the striker took in the field and the coach did not like. Spanish media revealed that they maintained a strong argument. It was confirmed that the tone was not as sour but Mourinho strongly criticized Cristiano Ronaldo due to his lack of defensive intensity in some plays and some mistakes that provided good chances for Valencia. The Portuguese player answered forcefully in the locker room.

Mourinho and Cristiano during a Real Madrid match

It all started in the second half, after Cristiano Ronaldo missed a couple of chances in front of the goal of Guaita, the Valencia goalkeeper. Television footage showed as Rui Faria, Jose Mourinho's assistant, said repeatedly to the footballer, without much success, that he had to continue the play, defending the left side of the team. Even Mourinho came off the bench with clear signs of anger.

Other images showed how earlier in the first half of the match, Marcelo seemed to reproach Cristiano not helping him in the defense zone of the left side and got a gesture of disapproval of the Portuguese player as a response. Furthermore, Mourinho was especially upset by the last to two actions of the game. In one of them, Cristiano Ronaldo decided to shoot on goal when the clearer option seemed pass to Higuain. In another, Mourinho did not like that Cristiano was hurried for a throw-in at extra time. Team missed the ball and ended up with a chance for Valencia.

All that, moved to the dressing room and there was a short but intense talking between the coach and Cristiano Ronaldo that drew attention to other components at the locker room. The player left the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium visibly pained by the incident.

Saint Iker Casillas is back

Jose Mourinho opted for Iker Casillas. Once Antonio Adan had served his penalty in the Spanish League, Iker was chosen for the great match against Valencia. And Casillas replied as he does best: saving every shot that came and left a clean sheet for the third straight game.

Iker Casillas had a great performance against Valencia

The first leg of the quarterfinals of the Spanish Cup (Copa del Rey), which ended in victory for Real Madrid against Valencia (2-0) marked the third consecutive Iker Casillas' game without taking a ball of the net. In the midst of debate over his place at the starting lineup of the Real Madrid, the captain turned to be decisive against Valencia. Two great saves prevented Valencia from taking advantage. Casillas is at a good level. After the win against Celta Vigo in the last-16 knockout round of the Cup and the goalless draw against Osasuna in Pamplona, Iker completed his third game unbeaten.

Real Madrid 2 - 0 Valencia (Spanish Cup, 1/4 Finals 1st Leg)

Real Madrid took the lead in the tie into an exciting match and took the first step towards the semi-finals of the Spanish Cup (Copa del Rey). Benzema finished a textbook counter-attack in the 38th to put the Whites ahead, while a Guardado own goal in the second half put the result beyond doubt. The Whites, who have gone one year unbeaten in the Santiago Bernabeu, may have got an even better result if it had not been for Guaita, who made superb stops from two clear shots from Cristiano Ronaldo. Next week, at the Mestalla, it will be decided who will go through.

Real Madrid 2 - 0 Valencia. Real Madrid takes quarters advantage

It wasn’t just another match. Although the tie will have the second and final round of the bout at the Mestalla, at stake was a place in the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey and Real Madrid, who have gone one year unbeaten in the Santiago Bernabeu, made their intentions clear from the start. In fact, as soon as Valencia took the kick-off, the Whites stole the ball and it resulted in a free kick that Cristiano Ronaldo came close to giving his team the lead with. That opening move was no more than a prologue to an exciting first half that was played at a cut-throat pace. The chances came for both sides, but the clearest of the first half hour came from the boots of Modric. The Croatian took the ball from Banega after putting him under pressure and started the counter by passing the ball to Benzema. The Frenchman, in turn, gave it back to Modric, who grazed the crossbar with a left-footed shot from the edge of the box in the 9th minute. Three minutes later Ronaldo had another attempt, but his shot from distance was saved by Guaita.

There was no time in the match to think about what was happening. Both teams were giving their all in pursuit of a goal that would increase their chances of getting through to the next round. Valencia had the opportunity to put themselves in front with two consecutive chances that fell to Jonas. His shot from the edge of the area in the 33rd minute went just inches over the crossbar from his first attempt, while two minutes later Casillas was made to show his best from a shot from close to the penalty spot. A possible 0-1 became 1-0 with a textbook counter-attack. Essien started the move with an unstoppable charge forward and gave the ball to Khedira who laid off to Benzema with his first touch. Benzema then finished the exquisite piece of play between the three by masterfully beating Guaita in the 37th minute. The Whites went in at halftime with the advantage.

Jose Mourinho decided to make the first change of the match after the break. Marcelo, who had returned to the starting line-up, was replaced by Coentrao. The script of the match did not change one iota. The two teams fought tirelessly to try to dominate ball possession, but the visitors were perhaps more in need because of the scoreline being against them. Di Maria set foot on the field of play in place of Modric in the 62nd minute. More verticality and opening up of the field in pursuit of a second goal would give the Whites even more chance to go through to the next round with the second leg still left to play.

Valencia did not make things easy and showed the exceptional fitness levels that have given them seven wins in their last eight matches. In fact, they had a very clear chance to level the match. A great individual piece of play by Banega, who saw Piatti’s move up the right wing before passing him the ball. The Argentine played in Soldado, who could not beat Casillas in a one-on-one, but the rebound fell to Jonas who put the ball wide in the 68th minute.

Against a team that pack the punch of the likes that Real Madrid pack, that is unforgiveable and as happened in the first half, a possible goal from the visitors lead to a goal from the home team. Coentrao joined the attack up the left flank and crossed in the ball with which Guardado, in his attempt to clear the ball, put the ball into his own net in the 73rd minute. The tie is up for grabs and had it not been for Guaita, who was superb in two one-on-ones with Cristiano Ronaldo, it could have been an even larger winning margin. Next week, at the Mestalla, it will be decided who will go through.

Summary

Stadium: Santiago Bernabeu
Attendance: 68,000
Goals: 1-0, m.37: Benzema. 2-0, m.73: Guardado (o.g)

Osasuna 0 - 0 Real Madrid (Spanish League, Day 19)

Real Madrid could not come away from the Reyno de Navarra with the win after a goalless draw against Osasuna in their third match in seven days. Jose Mourinho’s team is unbeaten in 2013 after a hard fought encounter in which they could not beat an opponent who pushed hard and for the third straight match they finished with ten men following the dismissal of Kaka for a second yellow card. The first half was dominated by the midfield battle, which meant that there were no shots on target, while in the second half there was more intensity and emotion than there was football, but the scoreboard remained unchanged. The referee disallowed a Callejon goal in the 78th minute for a dubious offside. Mourinho’s team need to turn the page and think about the first leg of the Spanish Cup (Copa del Rey) tie against Valencia next Tuesday at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Real Madrid goalless in Pamplona

With Ronaldo, Ramos and Adan suspended and Pepe recovering from an ankle injury, Real Madrid took to the field with Varane, Coentrao, Albiol, Callejon, Di Maria and Higuain as the changes in the line-up from the last match against Celta. The first half was very even from the opening whistle, with much of the battle between the two sides in the midfield resulting in there being no shots on target. Higuain had the first chance of the match after squeezing into the area (5') following a pass from Di Maria but his shot resulted in a corner. In the 11th minute Osasuna made it one chance a piece with a miscued shot from Damia which went wide after taking a deflection on the edge of the area.

The match had no fluency and neither team managed to impose themselves on their rivals. Alonso and Di Maria were the ones with the clearest ideas of what they were trying to achieve and kept looking for the runs from Higuain and Callejon as they were trying to lose their markers and that ended in them being the players with the most attempts on goal. A pass from the man form Tolosa in the 14th minute left Higuain in front of the opponents’ goal, but the play was brought back for offside on the edge of the box. In the 23rd minute, the Argentine once again narrowly failed to make the most of a pass into space from Di Maria, and in the 25th minute he went around Andres Fernandez, who went outside his box, but his cross did not find a teammate to finish the move.

Di Maria (25'), Cejudo (26') and Xabi Alonso also tried their luck but their shots went wide. In the 36th minute, another through ball from Di Maria was latched onto by Callejon but the ball went over the opponents’ bar. In the 43rd minute Osasuna meshed together their best move of the first half. Cejudo made a couple of jinks and gave the ball out to the left to Armenteros, whose cross was struck wide by the player who started the move, Cejudo. The Whites had a response and could have taken the lead following a good move between Modric and Callejon in the 45th minute. The former passed to the Granadan who got to the dead-ball line, and played the ball back to Coentrao, who he failed to score without a goalkeeper to beat.

The second half began with the match’s first shot on target from Kike Sola that Casillas pushed wide for a corner, and in the 50th minute Oier tried his luck again following a saved shot but his shot went wide. In the 58th minute Mourinho brought on Benzema and Kaka for Di Maria and Higuain, and the Whites began to have more possession, but that wasn’t turned into chances. In the 67th minute, Osasuna had another attempt, but Lolo’s header from a ball crossed in from the right went wide. Armenteros tried again from distance in the 68th minute.

In the same minute, Mourinho made his final change by bringing on Ozil for Modric, and just a few minutes later the Whites were left to play with a player less. Kaka (76') was dismissed for his second yellow card for standing in the way of the ball at a free kick, after receiving his first in the 60th minute for dangerous play. Osasuna pressed forward but in the 78th minute the Whites had their best chance. A ball played in by Benzema from the right which Callejon put in the net, but the goal was ruled out for a hair-line offside. The home team kept trying and in 81st minute Damia’s shot from distance went high, whilst in the 84th minute Varane’s shot from a corner was off target. In the 93rd minute Benzema had the last chance but Andres Fernandez made the stop without any trouble and the match ended. Now it is time to think about the Copa del Rey match against Valencia.

Summary

Stadium: Reyno de Navarra (El Sadar)
Attendance: 16,366

Real Madrid 4 - 0 Celta Vigo (Spanish Cup, Last 16 2nd Leg)

Real Madrid qualified for the quarter-finals of the Spanish Cup. The Whites secured their comeback against Celta in a first half in which they gave a football master class. They had scored two goals with barely 24 minutes on the clock, both the work of Cristiano Ronaldo, enjoyed an infinite number of chances to increase their lead, had not had a shot on their own goal and even had another goal unfairly ruled out before the end of the first half. In the second half, and with 18 minutes of normal time remaining, the sending off of Sergio Ramos for two yellow cards complicated the matter of qualifying for the next round, but Madrid, who played for the second consecutive match with 10 men, once again demonstrated their class and pride. Cristiano Ronaldo sealed the performance with a counter-attack started by Higuain in the eighty-seventh minute to score his first hat-trick of 2013 and ensure qualification for the next round. Khedira, after an assist from the Portuguese, completed the rout in the eighty-ninth minute. Valencia await.

Real Madrid 4 - 0 Celta Vigo

Real Madrid faced a game of life or death at the Bernabeu. The team’s second of the season after the second leg of the Spanish Super Cup against Barcelona. Using the support of the Santiago Bernabeu, where they have been unbeaten for almost a year, as the foundation for the match, the Whites wanted to demonstrate their credentials from the moment they went out onto the pitch. In fact, in the third minute, and with their first shot on goal, they went ahead. A throw-in taken by Arbeloa arrived at the feet of Cristiano Ronaldo, who was two metres from the touch-line. The Portuguese advanced and surprised Sergio with a fierce shot struck with the venom the Portuguese normally puts into his shots on goal. 1-0. The Portuguese has started 2013 in sublime form (later his fourth and firth goals of the year would arrive in what is only the second game he has played) and with an extremely high level of confidence.

Real Madrid once again demonstrated that they were going for the jugular at the Santiago Bernabeu. Against Real Sociedad they took two minutes to score, today they needed only a minute more. Their control of the ball and aggressive pressing to regain it when Celta tried to play confirmed as much. The home side were now in control of the knock-out tie, but there was still a lot of the match to go. Cristiano Ronaldo once again took charge of removing any shred of doubt about the result in a move that was practically a carbon copy of that which led to the goal in Balaidos. On this occasion it was not Xabi Alonso but Modric who passed the ball over the defence. The Portuguese made the most of the gift from the Croatian, volleying quickly with his left foot in the twenty-fourth minute.

The third goal could have come eleven minutes later, but Özil could not beat Sergio in a one-on-one. However, the third goal did arrive in the next move of the match, but referee Ayza Gamez ruled it out for offside against Cristiano Ronaldo, who was clearly not ahead of the last man, depriving the Portuguese of his hat-trick after 36 minutes of the match. The first half saw the home side put on an exhibition. The Whites had scored two goals, enjoyed an infinite number of chances to increase their lead, had not had a shot on their own goal and even had another goal unfairly ruled out.

Xabi Alonso, who was accidentally hit on the neck by De Lucas on the stroke of half time stayed in the dressing room. Essien took his place on the pitch while Varane, Alonso’s substitute, played in the centre of the defence and Ramos on the right wing (after ten minute the Frenchman and the player from Seville switched positions). The team’s attitude did not change. Aware that a goal by Celta would take the clash to extra time, the Whites returned to the pitch intent on controlling the match.

De Lucas tested Casillas for the first time in the sixty-eighth minute, but the captain’s response could not have been better. The sending-off of Sergio Ramos for two yellow cards with 18 minutes of normal time left complicated the matter of qualifying for the next round of the cup, but Casillas was assured in goal and prevented the visiting side from scoring on two occasions. Real Madrid, playing for the second consecutive match with 10 men, once again demonstrated class and pride and ensured their qualification for the next round in the eighty-seventh minute with the hat-trick by Cristiano Ronaldo in a counter-attack started by Higuían. Khedira, after an assist by the Portuguese, completed the rout in the eighty-ninth minute. Valencia await in the quarter-finals.

Summary

Stadium: Santiago Bernabeu
Attendance: 60,600
Goals: 1-0, m.3: Cristiano Ronaldo. 2-0,m.25: Cristiano Ronaldo; 3-0, m.90: Cristiano Ronaldo. 4-0, m.91: Khedira.

Jose Mourinho: Best Club Coach 2012

The Portuguese Jose Mourinho, coach of Real Madrid, has been appointed by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS) best club coach of 2012, award that gets for the fourth time. Mourinho, who won the League and Spanish Super Cup, wins this award according to the vote on specialized media and experts. The second place is for the Italian Roberto di Matteo, who led Chelsea to victory in the Champions League and the fourth place is for the Spanish coach Josep Guardiola, who won the Spanish Cup (Copa del Rey) with Barcelona.

Mourinho: Best Club Coach 2012

Mourinho, who already took the award in 2004, 2005 and 2010, beat with Real Madrid the records of points and goals in the Spanish league and in the Champions League, the white team was defeated against Bayern Munich in the semifinals in a penalty shootout. The other coaches with more than a crown of best club coach are Marcello Lippi (1996 and 1998), Ottmar Hitzfeld (1997 and 2001), Carlos Bianchi (2000 and 2003), Sir Alex Ferguson (1999 and 2008) and Guardiola (2009 and 2011).

Di Matteo, already former Chelsea manager, also led the London club to win the FA Cup. The third place is for the Argentinian Diego Pablo Simeone, UEFA Cup champion and Europe SuperCup champion with Atletico Madrid, currently second in La Liga (Spanish League) after Barcelona. Simeone overcomes Guardiola in the list, who is in his year off after his time at Barcelona.

Best Club Coach 2012 List:

• 1. Jose Mourinho (POR/Real Madrid) 101 points
• 2. Roberto Di Matteo (ITA/Chelsea) 99
• 3. Diego Pablo Simone (ARG/Atlético de Madrid) 97
• 4. Josep Guardiola (ESP/Barcelona) 82
• 5. Tite (BRA/Sao Paulo) 61
• 6. Jupp Heynckes (GER/Bayern Múnich) 40
• 7. Alex Ferguson (ESC/Manchester United) 27
• 8. Jürgen Klopp (GER/Borussia Dortmund) 15
• 9. Marcelo Bielsa (ARG/Athletic Club) 12
• 10. Roberto Mancini (ITA/Manchester City) 11

Jose Mourinho has confidence in Antonio Adan

Iker Casillas will occupy the goal of Real Madrid tomorrow against Celta in the Spanish Cup and on Saturday against Osasuna (Spanish League, Day 19). But it will not for long. For the next match, against Valencia, on Wednesday, January 16th in Madrid in the quarterfinals of the Spanish Cup competition if Whites defeat Celta, or on Sunday, January 19th at Mestalla in League match, Mourinho has decided that Antonio Adan will return to the starting lineup.

Antonio Adan and Iker Casillas

Yesterday the coach showed immune to sonic blast that some fans of the Bernabeu Stadium gave him when his name was announced over the loudspeaker, in what is the most obvious mismatch between the Portuguese and the Real Madrid fans to date. Mourinho has very clear what he wants and as has told his closest staff, is not going to doubt when it comes to making decisions that considers more beneficial for the team.

Mourinho defends himself: "I can not do anything. If people do not want to understand that basically the only problem I have with Casillas is that he is not in shape. The relationship does not care", he says. He only wants Casillas to save the rival shots and he is not doing it. Or not as well as before. While, Mourinho gave as an example the third goal from Xabi Prieto, a diagonal shot to the right hand from the side of the smaller area. The coach emphasized that the goal showed a Casillas out of shape in his specialty, the one on one. "But this decision has not to annoy Iker Casillas or the fans. I do it out of conviction", Mourinho says.

Mourinho does not see Casillas at good level and thinks he needs a goalkeeper in order to have competition and play his best every matchday. It is not new. Goes way back. In fact, this summer was one of the points of disagreement with the club in terms of signings, together with Lucas Moura.

The coach managed good reports of several goalkeepers to motivate Iker; among them were Roberto Jimenez (Zaragoza) and Andres Fernandez (Osasuna). Even David De Gea, remote option because Mourinho was searching for an intermediate level goalkeeper between Casillas and Adan. Mourinho has never hidden the need to promote competition and showed it on Sunday at the press conference: "I do not like to be always in the comfortable position of being a hero forever, regardless of my performance. So if the fans think I am not working according to their wishes, is OK".

Casillas, meanwhile, tries to keep the peace, he works to regain his place in the starting lineup and is aware that does not go through his best moment and remains in his role as captain, above all, looks after the interests of the group. So zero conflicts, as demonstrated in the press conference that started the Real Madrid year: "I'm not a machine, there are better and worse times, but I feel good and I train to regain a place on the field. Then the coach decides. I have a colleague who is also a friend, a ten as a person. Adan has our full support and confidence. Real Madrid is above Casillas". Impeccable.

But Iker believes that Mourinho's decision is a personal matter. Against the permanent comfort argument, Casillas has been awarded the last six seasons as goalkeeper for the best team of the year so he can not agree. In addition nor Silvinho Louro (does not speak with him for two months) neither Mourinho have congratulated him for the award as best goalkeeper in the world that awarded the IFFHS.

The relationship between captain and coach, rather than cold, is icy. It is an open secret. Florentino Perez looks with concern to this break, which threatens to blow up the peace in the locker room when approaching the critical stage of the season. From the club, yesterday insisted that "the decision of Mourinho, though risky, is what we have to abide. We were not expecting this, but we understand that we can not take part by none other than the coach."