Jose Mourinho

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Goalkeepers: Casillas, Adán, Pacheco.

Defenders: Carvalho, Sergio Ramos, Marcelo, Arbeloa, Albiol, Garay.

Midfielders: Gago, Khedira, Granero, Xabi Alonso, Pedro León, Di María, Canales, Kaká, Özil.

Forwards: Cristiano Ronaldo, Benzema.

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The other news of the day was the “official communique” from the club, sent in response to a report on the RFEF web site. The report had announced a change in the referee for the game, and ended with “the referee Turienzo Álvarez will be in charge of the second leg quarterfinal game, under the watchful gaze of Mourinho, who has considered himself maligned by the referees in the last few matchdays of the Liga.” The report was later taken off the web site. Madrid’s response was to “express indignation,” “demand liability” and “lament the publication of such official bulletins,” among other things.

Update: the RFEF’s spokesperson said an intern wrote the report and that “it does not reflect the opinion of the federation.”

Sometimes I really have doubts that this league and the clubs are run by grown-ups. Madrid’s response was the correct one in this case, because that line in the report was really uncalled for, and it will probably add fuel to the fire that the RFEF has a vendetta against Real Madrid, which means this whole issue will blow up once again. I for one am so tired of it.

In his press conference, Mou – is that his new ego collection watch? – showed that he too was tired of mindless controversies and fed up with the press.

In response to the issue of another forward, Mou said: “I’m not the one who has to talk about it because I haven’t said anything. I talked about another forward in the pre-season, and in November, when everyone knew that Higuaín was not going to recover for a while, and then I didn’t say anything after that. In the last few days, the one who talked about the ’9′ hasn’t been me [he's referring to Jorge Valdano]. I’m not the one sending messages via the press. I’m too old to be doing that. I’m a dinosaur in that way.” When asked whether the tension was increasing between him and FP, Mou responded, “you all see ghosts, and suspense and terror movies.”

On the refereeing as of late, Mou’s take was: “if you’re honest and you analyze what happened in Almería, you’ll see that there’s no controversy, just penalties that weren’t called. You have to be humble and say, ‘there were two penalties and I made a mistake.’ I’m not against the referees. Against Atlético, they scored an offside goal against us and I asked for this referee for every game because he’s fantastic and I liked him.” As for the formal complaint made by the referees committee in response to his words on Pérez Lasa, Mou commented, “I already said that there is a set of rules for me and one for everyone else. History repeats itself.”

Then he was asked about the chants of “Mourinho, die!” at the Calderón: “I can’t say much more. What can I do? Not go to the game?” In response to whether he felt persecuted, he said, “why don’t you all answer that for me.”

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Mourinho staying at Real for now

Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho has confirmed he will stay at the club until the end of the season at least.

After that, however, remains a mystery, with Mourinho less forthcoming on his possible whereabouts. something which will no doubt continue to fuel reports of his return to the Premier League.

Speaking after seeing his side progress into the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey at the expense of Atletico Madrid on Thursday, Mourinho told the club's official website: "The world is full of rumours, but they're not all true.

"Regarding my future, we'll see what happens at the end of the season. Contracts aren't the most important thing in football. If all the parties are happy at the end of a campaign, they remain together. If they aren't, they don't."

The "Special One" was addressing recent intense speculation linking him with a sensational move away from the club following a spat with Real general manager Jorge Valdano.

On the eve of the Atletico game, Valdano moved to calm the situation by claiming that any comments he made were misrepresented and not directed at Mourinho.

Referring to purely footballing matters, Mourinho had no complaints about his side's straightforward 1-0 second-leg win over Atletico in the Copa del Rey.

Leading 3-1 from the first leg at the Santiago Bernabeu, Cristiano Ronaldo scored the all important away goal in the 23rd-minute to effectively kill off any hopes of a revival from their city rivals.

"The team played a good game. We did what we had to do to reach the next round and we earned a good result that we can now add to our 3-1 victory in the first leg," Mourinho was quoted as saying.

"The team played a tight game and every player helped out. We reached the next round without exherting oursleves too much.

"I wanted to play differently tonight because we won the first leg 3-1. I knew we would go through if we kept a clean sheet. We decided the best option was to use Marcelo and Di Maria down the wings to give Cristiano more freedom.

"It was a good decision because we won."

Meanwhile, Real's pursuit of Dutch striker Ruud van Nistelrooy will be decided this week, the club have confirmed.

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Real seal Copa del Rey last four berth

Real Madrid moved into the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey with a straightforward 1-0 second-leg win over city rivals Atletico.

Leading 3-1 from the first leg at the Santiago Bernabeu, Jose Mourinho's side did enough to secure their progress to the last four on Thursday night.

Cristiano Ronaldo's 23rd-minute strike put Los Blancos ahead on the night and 4-1 up on aggregate.

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Valdano denies Mourinho rift

Real Madrid general manager Jorge Valdano has dismissed claims of a rift between himself and manager Jose Mourinho.

The Portuguese has come under pressure since his side dropped four points behind Barcelona in the Primera Division title race and there were reports he could be set to leave the Bernabeu.

But Valdano claimed his comments had been misrepresented.

He told Marca: "You have interpreted my words as a message to the coach and I have done very bad things when it has been something that was never my intention and never intended.

"Mourinho has to drive us to achieve the greatest possible gains to be better than last year and hope to continue in this vein.

"Do not look for anything unusual, we have the logical relationship between a CEO and the first team."

Valdano revealed that any return to the club for Dutch striker Ruud van Nistelrooy would be completed this week.

He added: "We're on it. This week is going to be definitely one way or another."

DISQUS...

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Real civil war has Mourinho on edge

Jose Mourinho's reign at Real Madrid is on shaky ground again following another spat with sporting director Jorge Valdano.

The 'Special One' and Valdano clashed earlier in the season and this week the pair were again at odds over the club's transfer policy.

Mourinho is under pressure to sign cover for injured Argentina striker Gonzalo Higuain who is a long term injury absentee following back surgery.

Moves for Athletic Bilbao's Fernando Llorente and Hamburg's Ruud Van Nistelrooy have not progressed in a positive fashion and last weekend's 1-1 draw with struggling Almeria highlighted the need for a speedy resolution.

In the game against Almeria, Mourinho opted to leave his remaining out-and-out striker Karim Benzema on the bench - a move criticised by Valdano. And as Chelsea fans will tell you, the Portuguese is not one to take too kindly to board members tearing apart the work he does on the field.

"I am not the one to talk to about the strikers," Mourinho was quoted in the Daily Mirror as saying.

"I did all that in pre-season, when I said we needed more than two, and in November, when we all knew he needed to give Higuain time to recover.

"So I am not saying anything. You can speak to the people who send messages. I've got to where I am because I think for myself. I'm too old for them to send me messages in newspapers.

"I'm a dinosaur and don't go for that. I make my choices and if I have questions, I ask for advice from my staff."

When asked further if his comments were directed at Valdano and club president Florentino Perez, Mourinho responded: "You see ghosts and films of suspense and terror in everything I say."

The Daily Mirror reckons several top clubs in England including Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United are now closely monitoring the situation to see whether Mourinho would do the unthinkable and walk out on Real at the end of the season.

Mourinho's past admissions of his longing to return to the Premier League have constantly fueled speculation that he is in line to replace Sir Alex Ferguson at United when the Scot finally retires.

However, it remains to be seen how strained the relationship between Mourinho and the club's hierachy will be in the coming weeks as the January transfer window edges closer to shutting.

Club captain, Iker Casillas is one person who believes Mourinho will not quit.

"Jose Mourinho wants to stay and Real Madrid wants him to stay. I can say this as I'm the captain," he told Onda Cero radio.

"We have a young team and he knows in the long run this will pay off. He loves the city and he loves the club. We know that Madrid has to achieve more right now. But remember, we're a young and new-look team."

Real are in action on Thursday night when they face Atletico Madrid with a place in the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey up for grabs.

Real hold a 3-1 advantage from the opening leg.

DISQUS...

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Jose Mourinho not very ethical"

Sevilla coach Gregorio Manzano has slammed Jose Mourinho's list of refereeing blunders following his side's 1-0 win over the Andalusians in December.

Madrid beat Sevilla 1-0 at the Bernabeu thanks to a late Angel di Maria strike, but Mourinho was unhappy with the performance of referee Carlos Clos Gomez and showed a list of the official's "13 serious mistakes" at the post-match press conference.

Those included the dismissal of Madrid defender Ricardo Carvalho and the failure to award a penalty to Esteban Granero, while Sevilla's Mouhamadou Dabo was also sent off in another highly contentious decision.

Madrid and Sevilla meet in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-finals at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan on Wednesday, and Manzano does not expect any repeat of Mourinho's "unethical" antics.

"There is no problem between the two coaches, except when the bits of paper come out," Manzano said today.

"I had never seen a fellow coach produce a piece of paper with a list of refereeing mistakes. I don't know what's behind that - it's not very ethical.

"But I don't think that will happen again because it is something that had never happened to me before."

Sevilla are the Copa del Rey holders and Manzano says they will be playing to win against Madrid.

"We have to play the semi-final with the mentality that we are going to go through," he said.

"Sevilla always show up in the big games."

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Mourinho: I wasn't hired to beat Barca

Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho says he was hired by the club to win trophies and not beat Barcelona.

Mourinho's future at the Bernabeu has been up in the air recently with reports of disagreements with general manager JorgeValdano.

However, Mourinho chose to remain taciturn about the exact situation.

In comments reported in the Spanish media, he said:"There must be happiness among the fans, players, coaches and the board.

"We are working to be happy and with the view that I will fulfill my contract. I want to be the coach, that is all."

When asked about Barcelona, who beat Real 5-0 at the Nou Camp in November, the garrulous Portuguese said: "I was hired to win games, get points and win the title. I was not hired to beat anyone."

Finally, Mourinho sent out a warning to Karim Benzema, agreeing with Kaka that the Frenchman needs to work hard to get a regular starting place in the team.

"Kaka said what we are all thinking. We all hope for more from him [benzema]."

Real host Mallorca on Sunday and will look to bring back the gap between themselves and Barca back to four points. The defending champions moved seven points clear after beating Real Zaragoza on Saturday.

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Goalkeepers: Casillas, Adán, Pacheco.

Defenders: Carvalho, Ramos, Marcelo, Arbeloa, Albiol, Garay.

Midfielders: Gago, Lass, Granero, Alonso, Pedro León, Di María, Canales, Kaká, Özil.

Forwards: Cristiano Ronaldo, Benzema.

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Mourinho: "The team continues to win in January"

"I allowed the midfielders who will play in Seville to rest today"

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

Jose Mourinho analysed the victory over Mallorca in a post-match press conference.

"We earned an important and difficult victory against a well prepared opponent. Mallorca played with an intensity we couldn't have due to our exhaustion. They had all week to prepare for the match and could rest. You cannot compare the preparation both sides had. Mallorca also happen to be a good team with a good coach, and they are also organised. The important thing is we are currently in the Champions League Last 16, in second place in La Liga, and in the Copa del Rey semifinals."

"Derbies against Atletico Madrid aren't friendlies and they are not easy to play, so my men feel physically and emotionally tired. The opponent's quality and the fact that we faced them in a Copa del Rey quarterfinal means both legs were difficult encounters. Nobody wanted to lose. Playing two derbies in one week took its toll on us."

"I decided to use a different lineup because we will play a very important game on Wednesday. I cannot replace all y men and I know there are consecuences to making changes on my starting lineup."

"My decisions were risky, but I allowed the midfielders who will play in Sevilla to rest tonight. Khedira is injured, but he will play on Wednesday. At least, I will have managed to have a physically fitter midfield on Wednesday. I wanted to avoid being in a difficult situation by half-time against Mallorca. The 0-0 score was good because we knew we were going to make changes to the lineup in the second half. The double substitution helped the team make an immediate improvement."

"If the fans support the team it means they support its coach, because I am the team. I don't like, and I don't need, the support of individuals. I am grateful for it, but I don't need it. I need the fans to be with the team, and they are. I cannot expect them to be incredibly happy tonight, but it is very complicated to play nine games in January at a very high level. The team still has its limitations, but it continues to win, which is what really matters."

"I'm sorry I cannot travel to Italy to receive the Best Coach of 2010 award. We happen to play in Seville on Wednesday and I only have two days in which to prepare the team for the clash. It is a very important trophy because it is awarded by all the Serie A players, so I would love to be there. I was very happy when I was told I won with more than 90% of the votes from my opponents. It is the most important award I've won during this period, but I can't be there. My assistants at Inter Milan will go in my place."

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY MÍSTER!

I hope you'll stay with us many many years, help to win numerous titles and write history with Madrid!

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Happy Bday!

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Adebayor moves to Real Madrid

Emmanuel Adebayor's stormy time at Manchester City came to a temporary close when he joined Real Madrid on loan.

The Togolese will be with los Blancos for the remainder of the season.

The Spanish club announced on their website this evening that they have reached agreement with City for Adebayor to move to Madrid on loan, with "a unilateral option" for them to purchase the 26-year-old in the summer.

Their statement read: "Real Madrid CF and Manchester City FC have reached a deal that will see Emmanuel Adebayor play on loan for the former club.

"The player will remain at Real Madrid until the end of the current season, at which point the club hold a unilateral option to purchase the player."

Initially a massive hit following his £25million move north from Arsenal 18 months ago, scoring in his first four games for City, Adebayor's star faded after Roberto Mancini replaced Mark Hughes as manager.

By the end of last season it had already become apparent that the striker could no longer command a regular place for the Blues.

Things got no better this term and, although he scored a Europa League hat-trick against Lech Poznan on October, the arrival of Mario Balotelli had shunted Adebayor further down the pecking order and he openly spoke of his desire to move elsewhere.

Monaco expressed a firm interest but were unable to come up with the necessary finance, leaving the way clear for Real, once Jose Mourinho overcame some reservations amongst the Bernabeu hierarchy over his desire to bring Adebayor - who would be available for the Champions League - in as cover for Gonzalo Higuain, who is expected to miss the remainder of the season with a back injury.

The move is the second high-profile striking departure in the past six months following Robinho's move to AC Milan.

Undoubtedly, the high point of Adebayor's time at City - during which time he scored 19 goals in 43 games - was his first appearance against Arsenal last September when he raced the length of the field to celebrate in front of the Gunners supporters after scoring City's third goal.

However, that day saw the best and worst of Adebayor's character as he incurred a three-match ban for raking his studs down the side of Robin van Persie's face.

Adebayor's time in Manchester has already been scarred by tragedy as the Togo team bus was attacked by terrorists during last year's African Nations Cup in Angola, leaving the coach driver dead.

It triggered Adebayor's decision to retire from international football - a move that Mourinho no doubt welcomes as he plots glory in La Liga and the Champions League.

As the loan is specifically to cover Higuain's absence, it is debatable whether a permanent transfer will follow but it would appear highly unlikely Adebayor will appear for the Blues again.

City confirmed on Tuesday night they had agreed to loan Adebayor and the striker would travel to Madrid for a medical the following day.

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Moratti: No Inter return for Mourinho

Inter Milan supremo Massimo Moratti has dismissed the possibility of Jose Mourinho returning to the club for now.

Under Mourino, Inter enjoyed a stellar season last term by winning the European Cup, Serie A title and Coppa Italia.

The Portuguese left in the summer to join Real Madrid, but recent reports indicate his future at the club is in doubt following a breakdown in his working relationship with club figure Jorge Valdano.

Valdon had publicly been critical of the team's playing style.

However, Inter have only just found a replacement for Rafa Benitez, the man who succeeded Mourinho at theGiuseppe Meazza, when they hired Leonardo in December.

Moratti, who saw his Inter side lose 3-1 to Udinese at the weekend, was keen not to add further distractions to what has been an unsettling season so far.

"Mourinho is the best coach I ever had," Moratti told Sky Sport Italia.

"The way he works, professionalism and dedication are perfect. (But) This doesn't mean that Mourinho could return to Inter in the future.

"I currently have a coach (Leonardo) who is very good."

Inter remain nine points behind league leader and city rival AC Milan having played one game less.

Meanwhile, Real look set to solve their striker shortage with the season-long loan signing of Manchester City's Emmanuel Adebayor.

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"Adebayor is a physical marvel"

Emmanuel Adebayor has been hailed as a "physical marvel" after passing his medical ahead of a loan move to Real Madrid.

The Manchester City striker is in the Spanish capital to complete a move for the rest of the season.

After undertaking tests on the Togo striker this afternoon, Real Madrid's chief of medical services Carlos Diez told the club's website: "He is a physical marvel. He is in very good physical condition and will be able to immediately be incorporated into the team."

Madrid will sign Adebayor on loan with an option to buy the 26-year-old in the summer.

Adebayor is needed at the Bernabeu as Gonzalo Higuain is injured, leaving only the inconsistent Karim Benzema to lead the attack.

He was initially a massive hit at City following his £25million move north from Arsenal 18 months ago, scoring in his first four games, but his star faded after Roberto Mancini replaced Mark Hughes as manager.