Jose Mourinho

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Casillas reveals softer side of Mourinho

Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas revealed that behind the cool persona of Jose Mourinho lies a softer side of him.

Mourinho was named the 2010 Coach of the Year on Monday by FIFA while Casillas was part of the World XI squad.

While the Special One was again in his cool front during the award ceremony, Casillas insists it's a whole different side of him behind the scenes.

"We have worked together for six months and he has little to do with the Mourinho that most people see," Casillas told Realmadrid TV.

"He always shows concern for everyone and he never forgets about those who are always in contact with the players.

"It really catches on in the dressing room and all my team-mates and I am thrilled to have him. We hope he stays for a long time. Real Madrid have found in Mourinho a coach for a long time to come."

Meanwhile, Mourinho has given his take on the FIFA Ballon d'Or award, insisting there are other players more deserving of the award than Lionel Messi.

"I would prefer Xavi, [Wesley] Sneijder or Diego Milito [had won the award]. First of all I would have prefered Milito and Sneijder if you take each game that they performed in for Inter," he told Spanish daily AS.

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Jose Mourinho wants Adebayor

Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho is ready to end Emmanuel Adebayor's nightmare at Manchester City.

The Portuguese has admitted he is in the hunt for a striker after a long-term injury to Gonzalo Higuain, who is sidelined for at least four months following surgery on his knee.

According to the Daily Mirror newspaper, Mourinho is believed to be an admirer of Adebayor during his time in charge of Chelsea and would be delighted to bring the Togo international to the Santiago Bernabeu on a loan deal.

The striker's departure from Eastlands has became a matter of when rather than if after his amazing training ground bust-up with team-mate Kolo Toure and the arrival of Edin Dzeko.

City boss Roberto Mancini is desperate to rid him off the dressing room and would welcome an offer from Madrid.

The Spanish giants are reportedly willing to pay his salary in full, on top of a £1 million loan fee.

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"We want to win all three competitions"

Mourinho: "It is very important to reach the second leg with the advantage"

Realmadrid.com

With one foot now in the door of the Copa del Rey semifinal, Jose Mourinho discussed his team’s performance in its 3-1 win against Atletico Madrid.

"It is very important to reach the second leg with the advantage. The third goal gives us a little peace of mind, but we still have to play another 90 minutes in the Vicente Calderon, where Atletico are very strong. The outcome is still undecided."

"The referee was very good. I like his method of officiating. Only with a referee like him can you play with such intensity. But if anyone has reason to complain it is us. Atletico’s goal came from an offside position and the goal almost scored by Aguero was also offside. The two linesmen were mistaken. But whether mistakes were made or not are all consequences of the match."

"I prefer physical wear and tear than not playing the Copa del Rey at all. Of course my players are going to be tired, which is why we have rotations. There are players who don’t play as well after changing teams, and it happens everywhere. I don’t have copies of Cristiano, Di Maria or Ozil. They are unique players, but we must rotate because we want to reach the end of La Liga, the Champions League and Copa del Rey as champions."

"If Valdano says we are looking for a forward it is not because of Karim’s output. It has to do with what we do not have. The change would be one forward for another. That is why the club says it is looking for a center forward. He would be welcomed with open arms. We don’t have attackers on the bench; only defenders and midfielders. It would be great if the club really is looking for a striker. If not, we still have a good team."

"Benzema is working harder than ever. He is not selfish and he wants to play. He just lacks a little desire to score, but he is a great player."

"Ozil is at an outstanding level physically speaking. His intensity and rhythm only increase. When he first arrived there was a mix of tremendous talent and lulls in the match. Now he has the dynamics to continue throughout a match. He is playing great and can play here for another ten years."

"Arbeloa played very well tonight and took a lot of risks by advancing his position more than usual. He is very serious on the pitch and did not make any mistakes. I like players like him."

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The Whites turn the score around and leave one foot in the semifinals

Fernando Porrero / Translation by Michael J. O'Donnell

Real Madrid's intensity during the match was brutal. Atletico had a strong start, but were again defeated at the Bernabeu. The knockout stage hasn't been decided yet, but Real Madrid's three strikes give them a solid advantage for the return leg.

A great effort between Reyes and Aguero seven minutes into the match left the ball at Forlan's feet inside the box; and the Uruguayan scored the opener. The Whites intensified their game and scored an equaliser on the 13-minute mark through a corner kick headed in by Ramos. Real Madrid put even more pressure on the visitors and only keeper De Gea prevented them from taking the lead before half-time.

Atletico waited for the right moment to counterattack after half-time. Forlan came close to netting a strike, but the ball hit the near post. Real Madrid responded to this five minutes later: Ozil crossed the ball into the box from the right wing and Ronaldo kicked it into the back of the net with the sole of his boot (61').

Mourinho's boys started to suffer from the great efforts they made during the first half and began to look somewhat tired. They decided to control the ball more to prevent Atletico from getting possession.

Then, Atletico committed suicide just when it seemed both sides were not going to do much to alter the score: Filipe tried to clear the ball inside the box, hitting Dominguez with it instead and forcing him to go down, allowing Ozil to easily defeat De Gea just before injury time.

Lineups

Real Madrid

Casillas

Arbeloa

Ricardo Carvalho

Sergio Ramos Goal 14'

Marcelo

Khedira

Xabi Alonso

Özil Goal 90'

Gago 92'

Cristiano Ronaldo Goal 62'

Di María

Granero 92'

Benzema

Kaká 56'

At. Madrid

De Gea

Ujfalusi

Perea

Domínguez

Filipe Luis

Paulo Assunção

Reyes

Raúl García

M. Suárez 50'

Juanfran

Valera 89'

Agüero

Forlán Goal 7'

Fran Mérida 78

[Fashion icon]

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Back to work

Real Madrid trained behind closed doors to prepare for their match against Almeria

Realmadrid.com / Translation by Michael J. O'Donnell

Work never stops at Valdebebas. Real Madrid returned to work after defeating Atletico 3-1 last night in order to start preparing for Sunday's 19:00 CET league clash with Almeria.

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Spanish coaches laud Mourinho

Jose Mourino has been congratulated by the Coaches Committee of the Spanish FA after being awarded the FIFA World Coach of the Year award.

The Real Madrid tactician bagged the top managerial gong in Monday's prestigious event after seeing off competition from Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola and Spain's World Cup winning boss Vicente del Bosque.

Mourinho had a brilliant 2009/2010 campaign as he led Italian giants Inter Milan to a historic treble of the Serie A, Coppa Italia and Champions League crowns.

"On behalf of the Board of Directors and myself, we wish you the most sincere of congratulations," said Eduardo Caturla, President of the Coaches Committee, according to Madrid's official website.

"We have no doubt that this award is the fruit of the good work over the course of your long coaching career. We hope you continue working along these same lines to contribute to the constant improvement of football."

The award as the top dog in the coaching fraternity only served to enhance Mourinho's reputation as the self-styled "Special One."

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Almeria 1-1 Real Madrid

Real Madrid dropped vital points in the La Liga title race after being held to a draw by rock-bottom Almeria.

It might have been even worse for Madrid as well, with Jose Mourinho's side needing a 77th-minute equaliser from substitute Esteban Granero to get snatch a point after Almeria had taken a shock lead through Leonardo Ulloa just before the hour mark.

Cristiano Ronaldo almost earned Madrid the victory in the last minute but his ferocious free-kick from the edge of the box came back off the underside of the crossbar and the spoils were shared.

The result saw Madrid's five-match winning streak in La Liga come to end and, more importantly, handed a further boost to league leaders Barcelona.

Madrid came into the clash on a high after their Copa del Rey quarter-final first leg win over local rivals Atletico in midweek, while Almeria had fallen to the foot of the table following Sporting Gijon's win yesterday.

However, there was precious little to separate the two sides in the first half as chances were at a premium at both ends.

The best opportunity of the opening period fell to Cristiano Ronaldo in the 40th minute following a great pass by Kaka, who had started the match in place of Karim Benzema.

Kaka's through-ball picked out Ronaldo's run but the Portugal international saw his close-range shot saved by the foot of Almeria goalkeeper Diego Alves and Sami Khedira could not make the most of the rebound.

Madrid looked to be getting the upper hand at the start of the second half and Xabi Alonso was denied by a good save from Alves before Sergio Ramos headed a good chance wide at the far post from an Alonso free-kick.

The visitors were stunned in the 59th minute, though, as Almeria, who had lost their last three league matches and had been beaten 8-0 here by Barca earlier in the season, went ahead.

Pablo Piatti charged into the area and, after he had collided with Ramos, the ball ran to Ulloa who fired a left-footed shot past Iker Casillas and just inside the post.

Facing only their second league defeat of the campaign, Madrid piled men forward in search of an equaliser in the final half-hour and Ronaldo and Ramos were both denied by Alves.

There was nothing Alves could do to keep out Granero's effort 13 minutes from time however as Madrid got back on terms.

A swift breakaway ended up with Benzema laying the ball into Granero's path just inside the area and the Spaniard thumped a rising shot into the near top corner.

That goal gave Madrid enough time to try and force a late winner, and they almost managed it in the last minute when Ronaldo hit the woodwork from a free-kick.

The ball stayed out though and Madrid had to settle for a draw which - with Barca having only dropped five points so far this season - could prove costly come the end of the season.

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WTF?????????????????????????

IM SO ANGRY RIGHT NOW! the season is So over!

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Mourinho: I'm happy if Ruud returns

Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho would welcome the return of reported transfer target Ruud van Nistelrooy to the Bernabeu.

The Spanish giants have been linked with a host of forwards following general director Jorge Valdano's confirmation this week that Madrid are looking to bring in a striker to replace the injured Gonzalo Higuain.

Among those names is Van Nistelrooy, who helped Madrid win back-to-back Primera Division titles in 2007 and 2008 during a successful spell in the Spanish capital before moving to Hamburg 12 months ago.

When asked about the prospect of the 34-year-old former Manchester United hitman coming back to Madrid, Mourinho said today: "Many names are being talked about and they could all be a help for us.

"If in the end it is Ruud then I would be very happy. We know each other from English football, in my first seasons (at Chelsea), I know the player and the person well. I would be delighted if it is him."

Mourinho added of the prolific forward, who this evening scored Hamburg's winner against Schalke in the Bundesliga: "At the moment he is a Hamburg player and we need to respect that situation.

"I don't want to talk of Van Nistelrooy. For you (the media) it's easy. I have to respect Hamburg."

Valdano announced Madrid were in the market for a centre-forward following Real's 3-1 Copa del Rey quarter-final first leg win over Atletico on Thursday - two days after Higuain underwent a back operation that is set to sideline him for up to four months.

Without Higuain, who was Madrid's leading scorer in La Liga in the last two seasons, Madrid are left with just Karim Benzema as their only senior centre-forward.

Mourinho said: "It would be very good for us to have another striker because we don't have so many and we have a lot of games.

"I was very happy when the club opened the possibility of signing a player. The club is working hard to see if it's possible. The market is open until the 31st."

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Mou’s press conference

In his press conference after the session, Mou talked about several things. He was asked about the possibility of Ruud van Nistelrooy coming over in the winter transfer market, of which he said, “if he comes, I’ll be happy, but we’ll see what happens. I know him well as a player and a person.” By the way, Raúl and RvN were spotted chatting after playing each other yesterday in the Bundesliga. Apparently, the conversation went like this. RvN asked Raúl what he should do, and Raúl replied, “return!!”

Of Karim Benzema, Mou told the journalists that the whistles of the fans as Karim was subbed out against Atleti were not directed towards the player, but were motivated by the substitution: “the stadium was whistling me, because when it was tied at 1-1, I subbed out a forward. They wanted the team to continue playing with a center forward. I don’t mind if the stadium whistles at me.” He went on to say, “I’m happy with Karim. He’s working harder than ever, and making a strong effort to change his personality as a player and to get to the high level demanded by Real Madrid. He’s not scoring many goals, because he lacks the mentality of a player that wants to score a lot. A forward should have this desire, which is almost like an obsession, to score. If another forward comes, it’s not anything against Karim but rather because the team needs another ’9.’ He’ll improve, and we support him; he’s going to play a lot of games whether another forward comes or not. And he’ll score.”

As for MFC Álvaro Morata, Mou remarked, “Real Madrid has their forward for the next 10 years, but they have to be patient (or as Sergio would say, be patience), he will continue working and score a lot of goals with Castilla… We have the hope and the conviction that he will get to the first team and he will write his history in Real Madrid, the same as Canales.”

He also criticized the canteranos, the press and the players’ entourages a bit, saying that “the first division is full of former Real Madrid players who didn’t triumph here because they didn’t know how to wait… who gets to the first team at the age of 17? Maradona, Zidane or Raúl were phenomenons. The rest need to be patient. The fault lies with the agents, the parents or the players who have their head in the clouds.” With all that said, Mou concluded with “Morata will be more of a man next year, when he should be on the first team, so we should leave him alone for now.”

And when he finally got around to the game – remember that? – Mou said that Ozi will play if he recovers from his problem, but if he can’t, Kaká will start. Lass was not called up for the game because “I have all the midfielders on the team at my disposition and I prefer to have more offensive-minded ones on the bench like Canales or Pedro León. I continue to count on Lass though.”

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Mourinho: Real can still win title

Jose Mourinho is confident that his Real Madrid side can still win the title, despite falling four points behind Barcelona.

Although they have lost just once this season - a 5-0 drubbing against Barca - Madrid's hopes of wrestling the league back from the Catalans are now out of their own hands at the halfway point of the season after a 1-1 draw at Almeria on Sunday.

But Mourinho insists that all is still to play for.

"This draw is two points lost, but there is the entire second half of the season to be played," he said.

"I think we have done well so far. We have won 15 matches, lost one and drawn two, but it isn't enough to be champions. We hope to improve in the second half of the season."

On the game with the league's bottom side, which Madrid nearly won when a 94th-minute free-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo thumped the bar, the coach added: "We didn't play at the rhythm we are used to during the first half.

"Almeria defended very well, were very organized and played up to their potential. Hats off to them for earning a very important point."

"Under normal conditions, if referees do their job with the same criteria for every team, La Liga is anybody's. We are halfway through the season and we can make up this deficit."

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One of Mou’s used notebooks is up for sale, for €2,500. It corresponds to his last game with Oporto, in May 2004.

After the game, the coach gave the notebook to an old friend from the Coaches Association of Oporto, and even wrote a personal dedication to him on the cover of it. The son of the friend is now putting the notebook up for sale. Inside, there are Mou’s annotations, notes and tactical drawings.

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