As this is my first article I would like to present what my writing is going to be all about and sum up the season of Real Madrid.
Once a week my dear readers are going to be able to read a weekly sum up written by me. The latest news, the rumors and of course my own opinion on the things going on in the team and around the club. It should also be clear that my writing is not only for madridistas, everyone is more than welcome to read, share and comment.
Enough about that and now let’s talk football. Let’s go back to the date 14 of august 2011 and talk about the Spanish SuperCup, The season’s first El Clasico was a fact, Real Madrid came up well prepared while Barca werent as prepared as us. The match ends with a 2-2 draw and I don’t think I was the only madridista who saw a radical change in Madrids attitude. It was one of the best performances I had seen Madrid play in many years really, and that made me so sure of what the season was going to give me, a season to remember. Unfortunately the SuperCup title was not going to be ours this year after losing 3-2 in a very intense match at Campo Nuevo. A game that had it all; controversy, goals, fights, cards, poke in the eyes and much more. Real Madrid lost a title but with their heads up high.
Month of august is also known as the last month of sillyseason (football transfer window). Real Madrid presented the new signings for the season which was; the Portuguese left back Fabio Coentrao in a swap move including Ezquiel Garay. Also the canterano, Jose Maria Callejon, the very promising central defender Raphael Varane, Bundesligas player of the year Nuri Shahin and the Turkish national captain, Hamit Altintop. So what can we say about these signings? I did think and I still think that these players came to make a stronger squad not necessarily a stronger first-eleven but a stronger squad that could compete in a longer perspective due to injuries and bans and worn out players.
Except all of this the battle between Mourinho and icon Jorge Valdano was won by the Portuguese Manager who also made a change in the whole organization of Real Madrid, now Jose Mourinho was not only the trainer he got the role as “Sports Manager and First Team Coach”. Zinedine Zidane was also assigned as the “Director of the first team”.
The road to desired “decima” Champions League title was drawn in the group stage against two big teams, Lyon and Ajax and the Croatian side Zagreb. Very easily Real Madrid took the group without even sweating a bit. 6 victories out of 6, and a goal difference of +17, Madrid was ready for the next stage and was drawn against CSKA Moscow.
The date is 10th of December 2011, Real Madrid is playing Barca in the league with a winning streak of 10 consecutive victories in the league and six points ahead of the Catalan side. It was going to be the final of the Barcelona domination against Madrid, it seemed that nothing could stop Real Madrid and when Benzema scored the first goal after a stupid action of the Barca keeper Victor Valdes, everything got even clearer. But in the 90th minute the result was 3-1 to Barca. A very disappointing performance by Real Madrid and the one who was getting most critics was the two Portuguese stars Mourinho and Cristiano who was booed in the upcoming home game.
But that’s the difference between a normal professional and a world class star as Ronaldo and Mourinho. It’s like a wakeup call of that they have to do better and that was shown after Ronaldo made a radical change, and I think that I’m not the only one who can honestly say that Ronaldo is in his best moment as a player today, fighting for the team, scoring more goals than anyone in the world. Mourinho also proved that he can take critics by playing a whole new type of game against Barcelona in the cup than we were used to. He played as he did in the supercup when he gave the madridistas an illusion of success. But the performance was not enough after losing 1-2 at the Bernabeu and then 2-2 at Campo Nuevo. We all know why we didn’t go through to the semifinals. And for those of u who don’t know the name was Fernando Teixeira Vitienes.
Last week offered us a new week of rumors about Mourinho, he was seen in London with his wife shopping a new house on his day off work because of the national team matches. But what is really true about Mourinhos trip to London? Is he leaving Madrid for Chelsea or another London team? Well I don’t really think that. We all know his dream about returning to England and English football but I don’t think that he is leaving Madrid for now. After doing a deeper research I got to know that his daughter is moving to London to study there. And knowing that his smaller kids extending their membership at the private school, Americano make me even more sure of his continuation at the Spanish club. Although the constant rumors about conflicts between the Spanish and the Portuguese group it all seem to be solved today. Mourinho have more than 2 years left at his contract and I’m very sure of that he is going to continue his work at the best club of the last century at least one more year.
After winning 5-0 against Espanyol yesterday the situation is like it has been for the last three weeks, 10 point lead ahead of Barca in the league and in the Champions League a 1-1 draw against CSKA Moscow in a very cold Russia the position of Real Madrid is very stable and comfortable.
// Taeir
