Jose Mourinho

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"We've always supported Benzema"

Real Madrid have backed Karim Benzema to show his true potential at the club after his stunning Copa del Rey winning goal.

Benzema's goal gave Real a 1-0 away win in the first leg of their Cup semi-final at Sevilla.

Question marks on the player's future at the club have neer been far since his money move to the Bernabeu in 2009 from Lyon. He arrived with a big reputation for goals but his confidence has been in decline since.

However, he got the match-winner against Real Mallorca at the weekend and his solitary strike against Sevilla on Wednesday can only strengthen his position with coach Jose Mourinho, who has just brought in Manchester City striker Emmanuel Adebayor on loan until the end of the season.

"We've supported Karim from the very beginning," assistant coach Aitor Karanka told the club's official website.

"The hug the coach gave him after the goal is very significant. Benzema feels everyone's support and he is an important player on this team."

Early in the first half, Benzema collected possession outside the Sevilla box, charged into it, dragged the ball back inside the defender before slotting under the body of goalkeeper Andres Palop.

"We won and earned an important score for the return leg. Winning 1-0 meant at times that we could end up winning 3-0 or drawing 1-1, so the score is good but not decisive," Karanka was quoted as saying.

"The Bernabeu crowd will support us on Wednesday. We've taken an important step."

Should Real Madrid get through the second leg against Sevilla, Mourinho's men will almost certainly be facing Barcelona in the final.

The Catalan giant won their semi-final first leg 5-0 against Almeria, who last weekend climbed off the bottom of the Primera Division table.

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Official Announcement

Realmadrid.com

Real Madrid C. F. and Monaco FC have reached a deal for the transfer of Mahamadou Diarra. It is contingent upon the player passing a medical checkup as well as the contract signed with his new club.

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Mourinho wants revenge over Barca

Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho is looking forward to exacting revenge on Barcelona when both sides meet in the Copa del Rey final.

Mourinho's men were mauled mercilessly by their bitter rivals 5-0 in the league in November last year.

Now both Spanish giants will have the chance to battle it out again after progressing from their respective semi-finals on Wednesday.

Madrid overcame Sevilla 2-0 to complete a 3-0 aggregate victory while Barcelona won 8-0 on aggregate after thumping Almeria 3-0.

Speaking post-match, Mourinho insists he is looking forward to only his second El Clasico but questioned the scheduling of the Copa dey Rey final.

"It is great to see two rivals meet in the final," Mourinho explained to Marcapost-mach.

" We had our difficulties, and this has hurt us throughout January.

"We paid the price, but have receovered enough to progress to the final. It has all been worth it because we are now in the Copa final.

"April 20 is a little strange for the final. We will now focus on the Copa later in the season. It was important for us not to lose control of this evening's match, and the goals gave us peace of mind.

"We have had a good competition, which tested us with a Madrid derby," he added.

Madrid currently trail Barcelona by seven points in the La Liga standings.

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Barca and Real set up Clasico final

Barcelona and Real Madrid set up a Copa del Rey final against each other after both clubs progressed from their semi-finals.

Barca, leading 5-0 from their first leg against Almeria, cruised through 8-0 on aggregate thanks to second-leg goals from Adriano, Thiago and recent signing Ibrahim Afellay - his first for the club.

Madrid had tougher task against holders Sevilla, but goals in the last eight minutes from Mesut Ozil and substitute Emmanuel Adebayor - on his home debut - earned Jose Mourinho's men a 2-0 win on the night and a 3-0 victory on aggregate.

Sevilla finished the match with 10 men when Sergio Sanchez was dismissed late on after being shown a yellow card for scything down Adebayor.

The two results mean that Barca and Madrid will meet each other in a Copa del Rey final for the first time since 1990, when the Catalan side won 2-0 in Valencia.

In the evening's first semi-final, Barca coach Pep Guardiola, whose side won 8-0 on their last visit to the Estadio de los Juegos Mediterraneos in the league before Christmas, opted to rest a number of his first-choice regulars with their tie all but done and dusted.

The likes of Lionel Messi, Xavi and David Villa were all left on the bench, but it mattered little as a much-changed Barca ran out convincing winners nevertheless.

Almeria - playing at this stage for the first time ever - went close to opening the scoring when Sofiane Feghouli hit the post in the 27th minute with the first real chance of the game, but within seven minutes of that effort Barca were ahead through a fine individual goal from Adriano.

Barca, looking to extend their tournament-best record of Copa del Rey crowns to 26, made it 2-0 when Thiago looped a header into the far corner of the net in the 55th minute.

Holland international Afellay then wrapped up the scoring 10 minutes later with his maiden strike for Barca, the former PSV Eindhoven man thumping a low shot past Esteban Suarez.

The evening's later kick-off produced a cagey affair with clear-cut goalscoring chances few and far between.

Madrid should have taken the lead in the fifth minute when Angel Di Maria's low shot came back off the post and Karim Benzema somehow managed to put the rebound wide with the goal at his mercy.

Sevilla's former Madrid striker Alvaro Negredo then felt he had put his side ahead after lobbing a fine finish over Iker Casillas, but the effort was ruled out for a marginal offside decision.

That would be one of the few scares Madrid would suffer on the evening, and they had several opportunities to take the lead with Cristiano Ronaldo, Di Maria and Benzema failing to make the most of them.

Sevilla had five forwards on the pitch in the end but their hopes of taking the tie to extra-time were crushed in the 82nd minute when Ozil put Madrid ahead.

A superb ball by his Germany team-mate Sami Khedira saw Ozil clean through and the playmaker coolly rounded Javi Varas before rolling into an empty net.

Sevilla then lost Sanchez to a red card before Madrid, who have not won the cup since 1993, added a second goal late on when Adebayor, who joined on loan from Manchester City last week, chested down a Lassana Diarra cross before thumping an unstoppable volley into the roof of the net.

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Mourinho to Man United next season?

After enduring a torrid time at Real Madrid, Jose Mourinho has declared he is returning to England.

According to quotes reported in The Sun, the Portuguese supremo has decided he is going to return to England, and is considering Manchester United, Manchester City or Chelsea as his port of call.

Speaking to the press on Wednesday, Mourinho said: "I've decided to return to England. I have nothing prepared about my future - I just want to be happy in my work.

"I have no preferences about Manchester United, Manchester City or Chelsea. I just want to rediscover the joy.

"I'm not saying the Premier League is the most spectacular in the world but it is the best organised... the fair play and the enormous respect for your opponent."

Speculation is rife about his future at Real Madrid, with reports of tension with president Jorge Valdano, and the Portuguese failed to appear for the post-match press conference after his side's 1-0 win over Sevilla in the Copa Del Rey semi-final on Wednesday.

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Mourinho: I'll return to England

Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho could be on his way back to England sooner rather than later.

The Portuguese, who is currently involved in a public spat with Madrid director general Jorge Valdano, has never hidden his desire to return to the Premier League, where he enjoyed success with Chelsea before leaving in 2007.

"It's always important for me and my family to be happy and I love English football and my family love England," he is quoted as saying in today's Sunday Mirror.

"I have always maintained I will return one day but maybe it will come sooner than I expected."

Mourinho joined Madrid last summer after leading Inter Milan to the treble, including a Champions League success he was unable to achieve at Chelsea.

The former Porto boss insists he was not surprised when the end came at Stamford Bridge.

"I was never under any illusions," he said. "I understood the personality of Roman Abramovich and the culture of the people around him.

"And knew it was not a job for 10 years. My role was to give this man what he wanted - victory - knowing that, sooner or later, my time would finish, because there were too many things going on around me."

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Mourinho downbeat after Osasuna loss

Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho admitted their 1-0 loss to Osasuna has left them in a "much more difficult situation".

A second-half strike from Javier Camunas earned 17th-place Osasuna the spoils in a hard-fought came at the Reyno de Navarra stadium and consigned Madrid to only a second league defeat of the season.

The defeat means Mourinho's men are now seven points adrift of in-form Barca - who have won 15 successive matches in La Liga - at the top of the table, and was a major blow to the capital club's hopes of winning a first league title since 2008.

Mourinho said after the game: "My players have done their jobs with dignity and I have nothing to reproach them for, they fought to the end. We lost three points that we didn't deserve to lose.

"Osasuna are a tough team and the crowd was fantastic. I don't think many teams win here. We had opportunities to score in both halves, but we haven't done it. And if the opponents score first it is very difficult. Congratulations to Osasuna."

The Portuguese added: "This is our second defeat in La Liga and we are in a much more difficult situation with respect to first place.

"I always tell my teams that I don't like to gift games to the opposition, by not playing, not fighting or because we were relaxed...that wasn't the case. We lost against a team who gave it everything, and who had a week to prepare for the match."

Madrid, who were held to a 1-1 draw by then-bottom club Almeria in their previous away game, do not have long to dwell on their defeat as they have an important match on Wednesday when they host Sevilla in the second leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final.

Madrid lead 1-0 from last week's first leg as they look to win the cup for the first time since 1993.

Mourinho said: "Tomorrow is another day. We will be thinking about the game on Wednesday."

Madrid midfielder Xabi Alonso, who started the match on the bench as he was struggling with illness, added: "With this defeat the distance to Barcelona has grown, but there's a long way to go and we need to continue fighting until the end.

"We know that it won't be easy, but we need to look ahead and continue with the good work we have been doing. We cannot give up.

"We need to look ahead and think first about the cup game against Sevilla and then the next league game (at home to Real Sociedad)."

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Calderon: Real Madrid are in revolt

Former club president Ramon Calderon says the club resembles a "powder-keg" on the verge of exploding.

Calderon hit out at current incumbent Florentino Perez over what he called "unnecessary confrontations", and also attributed a share of the blame to coach Jose Mourinho.

"Real Madrid looks like a powder keg and is liable to blow up," he told Catalan station COMRadio.

"The situation at Real Madrid is one of revolt. There are unnecessary confrontations.

"The current president's policy does not promise anything else. The need to prove that one is smarter, taller and more handsome than anyone brings problems."

Mourinho's combative style has ensured him a regular place in the headlines over recent seasons with Chelsea, Inter Milan and now Madrid.

Reports that Mourinho has a strained relationship with Madrid general manager Jorge Valdano have also caused waves, and Calderon claimed the Portuguese was affecting the public perception of the club.

"Mourinho is not the best way to represent the club, he does not help the image of Madrid," he said.

"Mourinho has come to win titles, not to complain of bad refereeing, complain about what has gone before. That is not the role of the coach."

He insisted, however, that he would not be tempted to return to the Bernabeu, having stood down from the post in January 2009.

"My time at Madrid is over," he continued. "It has not crossed my mind to go back."

In a move likely to further antagonise his former employers, Calderon admitted that Barcelona are currently "teaching a permanent lesson in how to play football".

He added: "I do not remember seeing such a complete team. In Barca they opted for a model after the arrival of (Johan) Cruyff. Madrid have not been so patient."

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Mourinho laments Madrid mentality

Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho admits his players are not mentally prepared enough to challenge for honours on multiple fronts.

Real played nine games in January, including five games in La Liga and four in the King's Cup, and found their domestic title bid suffer a big blow following Sunday's shock 1-0 defeat at Osasuna.

"Playing nine matches in a month is not a problem for players who are used to it," Mourinho was quoted in The Independent as saying.

"But these [Real players] are not because for several years now Madrid has been eliminated from the Cup in the first or second knockout round and in the Champions League the same.

"They are not used to it due to bad lack or circumstances but the fatigue is not physical because players of this calibre are ready to play a match every two days.

"From a psychological point of view it takes more getting used to."

Mourinho was speaking to a news conference ahead of Wednesday's Cup semi-final second leg at home to holders Sevilla.

The defending champions lost the first leg 1-0 and face an uphill task to reach their second successive final against a Madrid side aiming to win their first Copa since 1993.

Karim Benzema's strike proved the difference between the teams in the opening leg.

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Madrid is a mini-United Nations

February 5, 2011

tags: özil, benzema, khedira, lass, mourinho

by unamadridista

A fun article from today’s Marca, talking about the languages used in Madrid’s locker room.

Did you know that José Mourinho uses four languages on a daily basis to communicate with his players? Our coach speaks five languages – Portuguese, Spanish, English, Italian and French – and Italian is the only one he’s not able to use with Real Madrid.

If Mou wants to speak with the Portuguese and Brazilians, he uses Portuguese. This is also the language he opts for he speaks with his technical staff, unless Aitor Karanka is present (although I wouldn’t be surprised if Aitor ends up fluent in Portuguese by the end of the season). If he wants to communicate with Lass, Benzema and Adebayor, he uses French. And with the Germans, English is used. With Jerzy Dudek, either English or Spanish would be sufficient. And of course for the Spaniards and Argentines, the choice is Spanish, the same as when he wants to speak with the entire group.

Of those that don’t speak Spanish fluently yet, Benzema is improving quickly, and has even given interviews and press conferences in Spanish. He no longer takes classes. Lass, on the other hand, still does not speak Spanish. And with regards to the Germans, Sami has been learning at a much faster pace than Mesut, and both of them still study with professors.

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Real Madrid 4-1 Real Sociedad

Cristiano Ronaldo celebrated his birthday with a brace as Real Madrid comfortably saw off Real Sociedad 4-1 at the Bernabeu.

Ronaldo, who turned 26 on Saturday, had failed to score in his previous four appearances - his worst spell since joining the club - but he was amongst the goals again as Madrid moved back to within seven points of leaders Barcelona.

Kaka gave Jose Mourinho's side the ideal start when he opened the scoring early on, and then Ronaldo added two more goals before half-time, netting in the 21st and 42nd minutes.

Sociedad pulled a goal back midway through the second half when the ball rebounded in off Madrid defender Alvaro Arbeloa, but the hosts added a fourth late on through Emmanuel Adebayor, who scored his second goal in three appearances since joining the Spanish giants on loan.

With Barca moving 10 points clear with their 3-0 win over Atletico Madrid last night, Madrid would have been desperate for a good start tonight, and Kaka and Ronaldo both tried their luck from distance early on.

Neither of those efforts were on target, but Kaka made no mistake in the eighth minute when he picked up a poor attempted clearance by Gorka Elustondo on the edge of the Sociedad area before curling a left-footed shot past Claudio Bravo.

Madrid almost conceded an immediate equaliser when Iker Casillas palmed a cross straight to Raul Tamudo, but the Spain number one redeemed himself with a superb block to deny the veteran striker.

The home side then took a firm grip on the match by going 2-0 ahead when Ronaldo created space for himself just outside the box and drilling a low shot past Bravo.

Madrid created further openings through Ronaldo and Mesut Ozil before Casillas produced another superb save to keep out Tamudo's flick in the 40th minute.

A Sociedad goal then could have made things interesting, but two minutes later Madrid were 3-0 up and the game as good as over.

Ozil curled in a corner from the right and Ronaldo climbed on the edge of the six-yard box to power in his 24th league goal of the season.

The start of the second half suggested Madrid could be set to record a big victory, with Ronaldo firing wide and Kaka thumping a shot against the crossbar in the opening minutes.

However, the chances started to dry up for the hosts after that and they were given something of a wake-up call in the 71st minute when Sociedad pulled a goal back.

Tamudo was denied for the third time by a great save by Casillas, but unfortunately for the Madrid captain the ball ricocheted into his team-mate Arbeloa and went over the line.

That gave Sociedad a glimmer of hope, but in truth they never really troubled Madrid after that and the hosts had a number of half-chances to increase their lead before Adebayor made it 4-1 in the 89th minute with a cool side-footed finish.

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Mourinho reignites Gerrard interest

Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho has reignited his interest in signing Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard.

The Portuguese has been a long-time admirer of the 30-year-old but failed in his two attempts to sign him during his time in charge of Chelsea.

Now according to The People newspaper, Mourinho has not given up on signing Gerrard and is set to launch a £25 million bid for the Anfield talisman during the summer.

The news will surely make Liverpool fans nervous after the loss of star striker Fernando Torres to Chelsea.

But it will be unlikely the club's new American owners are willing to sell the midfielder, who has been and still is the heart and soul of the Reds.

The only possibility of Gerrard leaving for Madrid is if Xabi Alonso returns to Anfield. And that remains a highly unlikely prospect as well.

The Madrid boss has previously threatened to quit after the club's lack of financial support in the January transfer window, although they did sign Emmanuel Adebayor on a season-loan from Manchester City.

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Ranieri: I voted Mourinho as top coach

Roma boss Claudio Ranieri has revealed that he voted for Jose Mourinho to win the coach of the year award in Italy.

Ranieri believes Mourinho fully deserved the Panchina d'Oro, which was awarded to the Portuguese on Monday, after the he led Inter Milan to a historic Coppa Italia, Serie A and Champions League treble last season.

Ranieri said: "It's a truly deserved award and I also voted for Mourinho.

"To win the Scudetto with Inter was easy but to guide the club to a treble last season is something impressive.

"Besides our arguments, I have a lot of respect for him."

Ranieri finished third behind Mourinho and Juventus coach Luigi Del Neri, who guided Sampdoria into the Champions League last season.

Roma were runners-up in Serie A and the Coppa Italia.

Mourinho, who succeeded Ranieri as manager of Chelsea in 2004, left Inter to coach Real Madrid last summer.