Jose Mourinho

[Aga]

well... la liga is lost already

[ailenroc]

Head coach Jose Mourinho of Real Madrid listens to questions from the media during a press conference ahead of their UEFA Champions League quarter final first leg match against Tottenham at the Valdebebas training ground on April 4, 2011 in Madrid, Spain.

[Aga]

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

[madristar]

Mourinho: I'll leave if Ronaldo joins Milan

Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho has made it clear he will leave the club should Cristiano Ronaldo be sold to AC Milan.

Silvio Berlusconi, president of AC Milan, is reportedly keen in making an ambitious bid to bring the Portuguese star to the San Siro in the summer.

And the 75-year-old has already given the green light to vice-president Adriano Galliani to negotiate a deal with the Spanish giants.

Ater learning of the news, Mourinho has made a stance in regards to his star player, insisting he will leave the Santiago Bernabeu with Ronaldo - but not to Milan.

"In football, everything is possible," the former Chelsea coach was quoted as saying to Sportal. "Should Ronaldo go, I will also go, but not to Milan.

Meanwhile, Mourinho's side are on course to reach the last-four of the Champions League after thumping Tottenham Hotspur 4-0 in the first-leg of their quarter-final tie.

[madristar]

Mourinho: We're not celebrating yet

Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho refuses to celebrate after his side beat Tottenham 4-0 in the first-leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie.

The tie appears to be done and dusted after the first-leg at the Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday evening with Peter Crouch's dismissal after just 15 minutes helping Madrid's cause.

Speaking after the match, Mourinho is adamant a place in the semi-finals is far from secured.

"I know English football well and I know the English mentality. It is not over.

"For you, it is not over. In another country I would say yes, but with English culture it is not over. They have belief until the last minute, so it is not finished."

The Portuguese coach also admitted that Spurs had it all to do after the loss of Crouch and would prefer to play against a 11-men Spurs.

"I know after that, 11 against 10 at Champions League level, it is an impossible mission," said Mouirnho. "I played in Barcelona with Chelsea with 10 men, impossible. I played in Barcelona with Inter with 10 men, impossible. Arsenal played against Barcelona a few weeks ago with 10 men, it is impossible.

"It just a question of the team with 11 staying concentrated, playing with a high tempo and not letting the opponent breathe. We did that in the second half, not so much in the first half. It is an impossible job. It is just a question of getting three or four. It is an impossible mission and I feel sorry for them because 11 against 11, the match would have been much better.

"Tottenham had to be defensive, with two lines of four at the back, and they couldn't play their match. It was good for us because we got a good result, but it was difficult for them."

Prior to the match, the former Chelsea and Inter coach said a draw will be satisfactory and now he has gotten more than what he wished for.

"Obviously, it [4-0] is better than 0-0, but what I said was that a draw at home in the first leg in the Champions League is not a bad result," he added in Spanish daily AS.

Madrid will face Spurs in the second leg on April 13.

[madristar]

Real Madrid vs Tottenham Player Ratings

Colin Chong witnessed the mighty Real Madrid thump Tottenham Hotspur 4-0 at the Bernabeu.

Real Madrid

Iker Casillas - 6

Barely broke a sweat as Tottenham were kept in their own half for large periods of the match.

Sergio Ramos - 7

Got Crouch his first booking of the game which got him sent off later. Ramos once again showed he is more effective in the opposition half than his own and was extremely lucky not to be booked after a cynical tackle on Bale.

Ricardo Carvalho - 7.5

Jose Mourinho's favorite child was ever present to clear the danger, not that there were many to begin with.

Pepe - 5

Would be a spectator the second leg after picking up a booking in the 36th minute but could have been benched anyway after his "wonderful" performance in this game.

Marcelo - 8

Great dive to get Crouch sent off and later monopolized Madrid's entire left wing. Looked dangerous every time he made runs forward and even had an assist to his name.

Xabi Alonso - 8

Stamped his authority in midfield the entire game and did not give Tottenham any breathing space nor any opportunity to hit them on the counter. The silent performer, but his contribution was crucial.

Sami Khedira (61' off) - 6

Complimented Alonso well in the middle of the park and pressed the Tottenham defenders all game long.

Angel Di Maria (77' off) - 6.5

The former Benfica man scored another Champions League goal with a stunning strike from the edge of Tottenham's penalty area, but did not do much apart from that goal though.

Mesut Ozil - 7

Showed great vision and passing and managed to create a goal for Adebayor. Great stuff from the German international.

Cristiano Ronaldo - 6.5

Wasn't his personal best but still managed to add salt to Tottenham's wound when he scored the 4th goal of the match and his 5th in this competition.

Emmanuel Adebayor (74' off) - 8.5

Back to haunt Tottenham and was on the score sheet after 4 minutes. Missed another free header after Ramos magically headed the ball back into the danger area and later got Madrid's second goal. He made Gallas look like an amateur with his aerial dominance.

Substitutions

Lassana Diarra (61' on) - 6

Did a decent job in his holding midfield role. Had plenty of time and space going forward as well.

Gonazlo Higuain (74' on) - 5.5

Did not have enough time to have an impact on the game and at the rate Adebayor is going, he may have to warm the bench a little longer.

Kaka (77' on) - 6.5

Came on and picked out Ronaldo beautifully at the far posts for Madrid's fourth goal.

Tottenham

Heurelho Gomes - 5

Mistake prone Gomes did not have the best of games and could have done better to prevent two of the four goals Madrid scored.

Vedran Corluka (79' off) - 6.5

Did well to limit Ronaldo's movement with the ball but was helpless whenever Marcelo came forward. Taken off due to a possible injury in the 79th minute.

Michael Dawson - 7.5

Had to ensure his defence remained organized and the skipper lead by example on the field, blocking everything that crossed his path.

William Gallas - 4

Was tormented by his former team mate and allowed him a free header for Madrid's second goal. Shouldn't have started if he wasn't a 100%.

Benoit Assou-Ekotto - 7

Was trapped in his own half for virtually the whole game and managed to kept Di Maria quiet till that one moment of magic.

Sandro - 6

Always there to clear the danger and help his defenders out especially after the sending off.

Luka Modric - 5.5

Was caught napping at the post and should have done better in the clearance for the first Adebayor goal. Tottenham desperately needed his man to step up when they were a man down, but he barely ventured out of his own half.

Jermaine Jenas - 5

Not tight in his marking and allowed Adebayor a free header. Didn't see much of the ball in the first half

Rafael van der Vaart (45' off) - 5

Not the return he had in mind as he was isolated upfront after the sending off.

Gareth Bale - 6.5

Still looked a little rusty after returning from injury and almost gave the Tottenham faithful a scare in the 73rd minute when he went down in pain. Showed a few nice touches and running behind defenders but the man disadvantage proved too much this time round.

Peter Crouch (15' sent off) - 2

Made two rash tackles in the space of seven minutes and got himself sent off. The outcome of the game would have been very different if he was still on the pitch.

Substitutions

Jermain Defoe (45' on) - 5

Barely touched the ball in the 45 minutes he was on and watched his fellow team mates get outplayed by the home team.

Sebastien Bassong (79' on)

N/A

[Aga]

[ailenroc]

[Aga]

[madristar]

How did Mourinho get to 150?

ESPNSTAR.com takes a look at Jose Mourinho's outstanding home record which recently ended with Real Madrid's 1-0 loss to Sporting Gijon on Saturday.

It is official: Jose Mourinho's unbeaten home league streak has been broken.

On Saturday night, Real Madrid's loss to Sporting Gijon meant that after 150 attempts, a team finally managed to beat a side managed by Jose Mourinho on their home ground.

150 attempts. A club in a 20-team league plays 19 home games a season. Doing the math, that means Mourinho has gone almost eight seasons without losing a league game on his own turf.

That may seem impressive, but that is not all.

Let's take a look at the bigger picture, and include home matches in ALL competitions.

Since Mourinho joined Chelsea in 2004, till Saturday's loss to Sporting, he has only tasted defeat in one home game. One. A solitary loss in six and a half seasons. That was in 2006, when Chelsea lost 2-1 to Barcelona in the knockout round of the UEFA Champions League.

Here's a closer look at Mourinho's home record since his time at Stamford Bridge.

2004/05 Chelsea

Premier League: 14 wins, 5 draws, Champions League: 4 wins, 2 draws, FA Cup: 2 wins, League Cup: 1 win, 1 draw.

2005/06 Chelsea

Premier League: 18 wins, 1 draw, Champions League: 2 wins, 1 draw, 1 loss, FA Cup: 4 wins, League Cup: 1 draw.

2006/07 Chelsea

Premier League: 12 wins, 7 draws, Champions League: 5 wins, 1 draw, FA Cup: 3 wins, 1 draw, League Cup: 2 wins.

2007/08 Chelsea

Premier League: 2 wins, 1 draw, Champions League: 1 draw.

2008/09 Inter Milan

Serie A: 14 wins, 5 draws, Champions League: 2 wins, 2 draws, Coppa Italia: 3 wins.

2009/10 Inter Milan

Serie A: 15 wins, 4 draws, Champions League: 4 wins, 2 draws, Coppa Italia: 3 wins.

2010/11 Real Madrid (till Saturday's loss to Sporting Gijon)

La Liga: 14 wins, Champions League: 4 wins, Copa del Rey: 4 wins.

From his first game at Chelsea right up to the most recent match against Sporting Gijon, Mourinho has lost once in 168 home games.

That is a record that most managers can only dream of, yet the Special One can lay claim to this feat.

In this time, Mourinho has also landed two Premier League titles, two English League Cups, an FA Cup, two Serie A titles, a Coppa Italia and a Champions League trophy.

If his trophy cabinet and his outstanding home streak do not earn him recognition as the best manager of his generation, then nothing will.

Testament has to be paid to Sporting too, who in defeating Real at the Santiago Bernabeu, achieved a feat that the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool, AC Milan and Juventus and failed to accomplish.

The defeat could spell an end to Mourinho's dominance at home, which will likely inspire hope in clubs that travel to face Real in the future.

Or, it could just mean that Mourinho is preparing to embark on another 150 home games undefeated. If there's one man who could do it, it's the Portuguese.

[Aga]

[Aga]

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

[Aga]

[Aga]

[Aga]

[madristar]

The Press Conference: (yes, in capital letters) The most interesting part of the day came during the press conference. Over 100 journalists had turned out to attend the first 15 minutes of the training session and subsequent press conference. However, Madrid’s communications department then informed the Spanish journalists that it would be Aitor Karanka speaking to the press on Friday afternoon, rather than José Mourinho, the 11th time that he would not do so. They complained to Óscar Ribot, saying they wanted to hear from Mou as well, but their complaints came to nothing and so they advised that they would walk out in protest. Thus, the moment the press conference began and it was announced that only Aitor Karanka would be responding to questions, about 30 journalists stood up and walked out of the room.

Among the 30 were all the Spanish journalists, except those from AS, Punto Pelota and Catalunya Radio, and seven foreign correspondents (Italian, Swedish, Portuguese and French). They did tell the club that it was nothing personal against Karanka, but rather the absence of José Mourinho before such an important game. Mou had known ahead of time that part of the press would do this, so he decided to attend the press conference with Karanka, the first time he had ever done that, in a show of support. The only time he opened his mouth was when he offered his assistance as a translator for the English journalists.

Press agency dpa revealed that Madrid’s communications department had found out that Mourinho didn’t want to speak to the press, to the surprise of everyone, because he didn’t want to be the center of attention or to have his words misinterpreted, as that could create conflicts.

Karanka’s words: Karanka echoed these sentiments during the press conference when he tried to explain the reason for this switch: “each time the míster speaks, his words are magnified and it’s said that he’s being provocative. We’re not the ones who have raised our voices recently and we don’t want anything to be taken out of context or be used to heat things up before the game. We’d rather be tranquil than misunderstood.” He added that his presence is not a “lack of respect” towards anyone, and in reference to the walk out, that “each one is responsible for his or her own actions, and out of respect for those who are here, I’m happy to be with you and it’s better not to talk about those who aren’t here. It’s not the first time that I’ve spoken.”

He also said that what the fans are concerned about is not who speaks before the game, but “the team winning, and having a coach that works every day since the day he was signed, one that is 100 percent there for the club.”

[madristar]

Real Madrid 1-1 Barcelona

Cristiano Ronaldo scored a late penalty to earn 10-man Real Madrid a dramatic draw from the Clasico showdown with bitter rivals Barcelona at the Bernabeu.

Ronaldo's 82nd-minute spot-kick cancelled out Lionel Messi's 53rd-minute penalty for Barca, which came following an incident that also saw Madrid defender Raul Albiol sent off.

Ronaldo's equaliser could prove a crucial morale booster for Madrid ahead of Wednesday's Copa del Rey final and their subsequent Champions League semi-finals against the Catalan giants, but tonight's result leaves Barca within touching distance of the Primera Division title.

They remain eight points clear with only six games left now, while they also boast the better head-to-head record against Madrid having won 5-0 at the Nou Camp earlier this season.

There were surprises in both starting line-ups, with Jose Mourinho selecting centre-back Pepe in midfield with dropping Mesut Ozil to the bench, while Carles Puyol was brought straight back in for Barca after three months out through injury.

Puyol had not been expected to be fit until next week's Copa del Rey final, but his return was a huge boost for Barca, whose four defeats this season have been without their skipper on the pitch.

After a quiet start to the match, Barca soon settled into their slick passing game and they fashioned the first clear chance in the 19th minute.

Andres Iniesta's pass over the top picked out Messi's run in behind the Madrid defence, but the Argentinian's attempted lob over Iker Casillas was saved by the Spain custodian.

Madrid responded to that with two efforts of their own, Barca goalkeeper Victor Valdes fumbling Karim Benzema's shot just wide of the post before Ronaldo headed a corner over from six yards out.

Barca then had a huge shout for a penalty turned down in the 27th minute after David Villa beat Casillas to a Messi through-ball and went tumbling over his Spain team-mate's challenge.

However, referee Cesar Muniz Fernandez deemed there to be no foul, much to the astonishment and anger of the Barca players.

The first half would end up finishing goalless, although both teams fashioned great chances to break the deadlock in the minutes leading up the interval.

Firstly, a good Barca move set up a shooting opportunity for Messi which Casillas did well to beat away, then moments later at the other end an unmarked Ronaldo looked certain to score following a corner but his close-range header was cleared off the line by Adriano.

That was an exciting end to an evenly-matched first period, and the second half started off in much the same vein.

Ronaldo came within inches of putting Madrid ahead in the 49th minute when his 25-yard free-kick smashed against the foot of Valdes' right-hand post with the Barca keeper beaten.

However, two minutes after that let-off Barca took the lead in an incident that also Madrid reduced to 10 men.

Villa was dragged to the ground by Albiol as the two tussled for a through-ball, and this time Muniz Fernandez had no doubts as he pointed to the spot and issued last-man Albiol with a red card.

That gave Messi the chance to score his 49th goal of a record-breaking season in all competitions, and the Argentina forward duly obliged, firing his penalty high into the Madrid net.

Barca suffered a blow soon after that when Puyol was carried off injured on a stretcher, but that did not seem to affect the visitors too much and Xavi almost made it 2-0 in the 61st minute when his shot clipped the top of the Madrid crossbar.

Despite playing with a man less, Madrid still created chances and Angel Di Maria blazed one opening over before Pepe failed to convert a clear opening at the far post following a corner.

With time running out Barca looked on course to equal the record of six successive Clasico victories, set by Madrid in the 1960s.

However, Madrid continued to fight and they were rewarded in the 81st minute when they were awarded a penalty following a challenge by Dani Alves on his fellow Brazilian Marcelo in the area.

Barca protested but, after their appeals had been turned down, Ronaldo coolly stepped up to send Valdes the wrong way and earn Madrid a morale-boosting draw - even if the result means Barca remain firmly on course for a third successive league title.

DISQUS...

[madristar]

Mourinho tired of playing with ten men

Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho hit out at the referee after defender Raul Albiol was sent off in the 1-1 draw with Barcelona.

Albiol saw red for a foul inside the box on David Villa.

Lionel Messi stepped up to convert the resultant penalty that gave Barca a 1-0 lead but Madrid won a penalty of their own later in the game when Marcelo was adjudged to have been brought down in the box by countryman Dani Alves.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored an emphatic spot-kick to give his side a share of the spoils in the first of four matches against their arch-rivals.

Speaking in his post-match press conference, Mourinho said: "In the first-half, the two teams were equal. We played compact and kept our shape throughout. A win is a win and a draw is a draw but we will take the positives from this game.

"What we want is to have equal decisions for both teams. The rules are the same and I am tired of playing matches with ten men. Raul Albiol will miss the cup final for a foul that was nothing."

The Portuguese, who had sarcastically remarked before the game that he was preparing his side to play with 10 men - was incensed that Alves had not been sent off with a second yellow for the foul on Marcelo.

"As usual, when it is ten against eleven, it is very difficult to play against a team like Barcelona. The referee's approach changed with the decision not to send off Daniel Alves. For once I would like to play against a ten man Barcelona," he remarked.

"I don't understand the reason why Alves hasn't seen a second yellow after conceding a foul in the area for a penalty," said Mourinho.

"I asked the fourth official why there wasn't a second yellow and he told me 'it's because he's a full-back'.

"When everyone thought they could destroy us playing with one player more, for 45 minutes the team was strong enough to compete and strong enough to get a result, and if the referee gives, as he should have done, a second yellow card to Alves, the last 10 minutes playing 10 against 10, it could have been a different story.

"We played very well with 10 players. We played with a lot of dignity and character and with the fans absolutely fantastic, and we almost won.

"In my opinion it was a very even game when it was 11 against 11. In the first half the teams respected each other, knowing they were facing strong opponents. There weren't many great chances, some for them some for us, but not many.

"Afterwards, with 11 versus 10, it was practically mission impossible. It would be mission impossible for many teams, especially against a side who are the best in the world at keeping possession.

The two Spanish giants will now clash in the Copa del Rey final on Wednesday at the Mestalla and Mourinho was looking to the supporters to provide his side with the extra boost.

"The support of the fans will be vital in the final. We expect the fans to respect the occasion and the greatness of both teams," said the two-time Champions League winner.

"It will be a game with more tension. We will try to win but it is different to a league or a Champions League game. Hopefully we will win and will be able to play on equal terms. Today [saturday], that was not the case."

After the Copa final, Real and Barca will meet twice in the Champions League semi-finals to be played on April 27 and May 3.

DISQUS...

[Aga]

[Aga]