Jump to content
Bellazon

Real Madrid News


madristar

Recommended Posts

abi Alonso: "Expectations this year are higher than ever"

Realmadrid.com

Real Madrid sponsor bwin caught up with Xabi Alonso on the eve of the midfielder's return to his former stomping ground, Real Sociedad.

"Real Sociedad have a good coach who works his men hard. They also have a team build primarily of academy players, which makes their commitment even greater. They pllay with two central midfielders, Aramburu and Rivas. I know them very well and they are hard workers, so we need to be very astute. We may have some difficulties if we aren't on top of our game. We will do our best to win."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Zidane to work closely with Mourinho

Zinedine Zidane is set to take up a role proposed by Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho.

The legendary Frenchman has a current role that sees him act as an ambassador of the club cum an advisor to president Florentino Perez.

But Mourinho has earlier requested to have 'Zizou' close to his side to act as a link between him and the president and also to have him more involved on the ground.

The Special One was quoted as saying in the Daily Mail: "I would like to have him more with me and less with the president. I don't think he wants to become a coach but I would still like to have him with me."

And the latest comments by Zidane would be music to the ears of Mourinho.

The 38-year-old told French radio station Europe 1: "I will work more with him [Mourinho]. I'll be the link between the first team and the president.

"It suits me because I wanted to go a little deeper into the structure of the club."

An official announcement has yet to be made by the club but Zidane is not expected to take up a coaching role.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Mourinho: "I want to reach the end of the season with this same squad"

During Friday's post-training press conference, Jose Mourinho hinted at the lineup he will use against Malaga and asked that his players remain focused during Saturday's game.

"We feel more and more comfortable every time we take the pitch. The players are getting to know one another and are getting used to the way we prepare for matches. Some might expect us to win much in the same way we did against Deportivo, but I don't see it that way. I hope we continue making progress. Despite the matches we have drawn, which didn't please me in the least, I am happy with how the team is performing."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

During an interview with GOL T, Jose Mourinho discussed his career as a head coach and Real Madrid's current state of affairs.

What is more important, excellent tactics or team management and player mindset?

I prefer to say that rather than working with footballer players I am working with men, which is why human aspects are fundamental.

Are you hired because you are a winner?

Whoever says they don't pay attention to results doesn't earn good results. I think it is a loser’s way of thinking.

What is it about English football that attracts you?

I prefer England. I think that in Portugal, Italy and Spain there are some fans who prefer the day before and day after a match rather than the match itself.

You always had unique footballers on your teams. Deco at Porto, Lampard at Chelsea, Sneijder at Inter... Who has that role at Real Madrid?

Xabi Alonso is our go-to guy. He is our second stage man who builds situations that we hope to finish. The position Ozil covers, where Kaka may return to, is the position that you are referring to. In attack we have players who aren’t just finishers. Players like Cristiano and Di Maria can unbalance many defenses because of their individual skills. (I really hope Kaka gets fit for just this reason, he's such a natural Mourinho-style player.)

Four years ago in London you said that your team didn’t play the way you liked it to, but that it was the way that gave you the best chance of winning in English football. Does that translate to Spain now?

The joy of my job and carreer is that it has allowed me to coach in Portugal, then England, then Italy and now Spain. It makes me a much richer coach than one who has always managed in the same place and in the same culture.

Do you still think that the defense's main role is to defend?

Marcelo is a great example now. He was a player who I didn’t like because he was everything but a defender. Now I am in love with him. He has plenty of offensive talent, but he is improving so much on defense that it makes me think that I don’t want another left back.

Does the team's surroundings also play a role?

More than surroundings is the team's ability to close up and become impenetrable.

Do you not care what people think of you?

How am I going to worry when so many people have something to say about me? There isn’t one interview that doesn’t mention me in the Spanish press. Imagine if I was concerned about it.

Are you the perfect coach for Real Madrid?

I don’t think Real Madrid can have a coach without a past. I have won two Champions Leagues and six league titles in different countries. I have won 17 titles in total. There were many doubters when I got here. Real Madrid cannot have a coach without status or prestige and he must be given room to work with.

Are players selfish, generally speaking?

I always say that a football player is a special animal. A great team cannot have eleven great players. You can’t win a thing with eleven great players. (Subtle burn to Perez?)

Are there any players who are intransferable?

Players make themselves intransferable. Casillas, for example, is one. But not because he is the captain of Real Madrid and a world champion. He works hard, always wants to improve, he takes care of himself and has the perfect social life for a football player. He is a leader, but a calm leader. But I haven’t made him intransferable. He has. That is why I say some players cannot be transferred.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

"Real Madrid have enough strikers"

Real Madrid director general Jorge Valdano has lauded his side's attack and questioned the need for another goalscorer.

There have been rumours linking Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney with a move to the Spanish giants.

Valdano also reiterated coach Jose Mourinho's comments last week that Madrid are not planning on making any changes to their playing squad during the January transfer window.

Reports have suggested Madrid as a possible destination for Rooney if United decide to cash in on the England striker, whose contract with the Red Devils runs until the summer of 2012 and whose relationship with manager Sir Alex Ferguson has been the subject of plenty of speculation recently.

Madrid have also been linked with Athletic Bilbao striker Fernando Llorente, but Valdano was keen to highlight the firepower already at the club, with the likes of Gonzalo Higuain, Cristiano Ronaldo, Angel Di Maria, Mesut Ozil and Karim Benzema carrying the fight up front for Mourinho's men.

When asked about Rooney, Valdano was quoted as saying on Telemadrid: "Madrid have two great strikers; Higuain and Cristiano, who already showed last season that they are capable of scoring 60 goals between them.

"As well as that there are Di Maria and Ozil, who are going to help these two goalscorers. The question is, who would we move aside if we signed another striker?"

When asked if Madrid did not need another striker, Valdano said: "It's not a debate in Madrid. Mourinho had to come out and stop these types of rumours. And as well as that, Benzema has not had the last word."

On in-form Spain frontman Llorente, Valdano added: "I like him, but from that to finding him a place in Madrid, that won't be easy. Every season there will be a new player, but it doesn't always have to be a centre-forward.

"Llorente is improving a lot and he is ready for new experiences, but often the media are discussing things that are not happening in the club."

It remains to be seen if things change over the course of the season, but Valdano also confirmed that the Bernabeu club will not be doing business in the January transfer window.

"In January there will be neither ins nor outs. June is a long way away," he said.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 7 months later...

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...