The Club has some visible cracks on its wall on all levels: the players, Coaching & Directives that are being currently sorted out & that some hope that the “Christmas spirit & break” will help further to mend. But there is only one true effective way to put ghosts back in the can, which is, winning again & constantly. This is nothing new to write about or explain to you as the reader, it´s an “Iron Law” of Football.
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| José Mourinho |
The first of the “problems” is more psychological than anything else. The "mystical aura" of Coach Mourinho has been dimmed after what he describes as “the biggest defend in his career”. The “Special One”, or the “Messiah” for some at Real Madrid, now radiates out his mortality as he retired into a “shell” to recompose himself. The Team Spiritual leader, the Captain of the RM super-tanker & their ideologist has been absent these last weeks from the “World” which has lowered dressing room spirits & allowed the dreaded phantom of “Doubts” to enter the big picture. True to Coach Mourinho´s pedigree, experience & intelligence we are now slowly seeing the “Average One” gradually return to his more comfortable “Special One” category, something the Club & players are relieved to see, appreciating & desiring to happen as soon as possible.
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| Mourinho - Valdano |
The second problem is at the Directive level. Real Madrid General Director Jorge Valdano & Coach Jose Mourinho are not exactly the Best Friends in the World. They have pushed aside past differences in order to work together, & because they are excellent professionals. The 5 – 0 defeat at Barcelona & the injury of Higuain has accentuated the doubts that Mourinho has with the depth of his squad & with Karim Benzema in his capacity as substitute for Higuain. Coach Jose Mourinho wants the Club to sign a forward with guarantees in the upcoming “Winter Transfer Market”, but the Club – Valdano – believes that answers are already present in-house with the youngsters, the recovery of Kaka in January 2011 & that the Club should give Benzema their confidence after costing more the 30M€ to get him over. Both Cocah Mourinho & Jorge Valdano have turned this player solicitation into a mini “power struggle” over who has more influence & sway over President Florentino Perez. Although we have as yet to see the final result & if Mourinho finally gets his player, the turbulent waters will be calmed again if Real Madrid manage to keep winning again, that is, follow the already mentioned “Iron Law” of Football. Once back in the winning groove both personalities will focus on their responsibilities & not on each other.
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| Casillas - Ronaldo |
The third problem is a dressing room situation. Apparently Captain Iker Casillas & Cristiano Ronaldo are not having a good time relationship wise. The situation came to notice when Ronaldo scored his last goal & only Marcelo, Pepe, Carvalho & Di Maria celebrated it with him. The apparent split is due to two main reasons (1) the comments made by Iker Casillas journalist girlfriend Sara Carbonero on Spanish TV that Ronaldo was egoistic & an individual on the field, something that Ronaldo reproached Casillas about; & (2) the call to attention by some heavy-weight players in the dressing room ( Casillas, Ramos, Xabi …etc) to Ronaldo to ease his on-field antics ( provocations, out of tone comments to team-mates & his “party pieces") to concentrate on his Football & be more co-operative. This last aspect isn’t the problem, Ronaldo assumed the “positive constructive criticism”, what is the problem is that the Portuguese star feels that his team-mates have not been supporting him 100% outside the Club with the media & that he feels left alone facing all the latest criticism. This has been apparently all solved in the last days if we are to believe the comments from Casillas & Xabi Alonso on radio saying that things have been solved in-house.
The other dressing room issue is Sergio Ramos. Coach Mourinho is very disappointed with the Spanish International who seems to have his head somewhere else. His terrible performance in the 5 – 0 defeat at FC Barcelona along with his “loss of control” which lead to his famous Red Card has taken the glitz out of the player. Last news is that Mourinho has had a meeting with Ramos to attempt to sort out his “wavering” performances.
Why are we posting all about this today? Because it is possible that most of these tensions already existed ( as with any other Club) before the Barcelona 5 – 0 defeat but that the pre-unbeaten winning streak was serving to put the lid over it all. The humiliating loss at the hand of the arch rivals, the first of the season under the new Mourinho proyect, & its dimension has shaken off the “gravitational force” holding in place the frictions & allowed a mini Big – Bang to occur that is shaking the Club within. This is not a new phenomenon or the last, look at English Football & Chelsea FC with their particular turn of events as they too are under the influence of the need to return to the “Iron Law” of Football.
While winning everything is kept under control, when you begin losing & constantly everything goes out of control. We could be talking today of an institutional crisis & team problems at FC Barcelona if Real Madrid had won 0 – 5 …its just Football & the whimsical day to day, week to week of the Sport that is fuelled by the results. Tweet
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