Post-Galactico Madrid Era

If there's anyone in the world who could have done with a decent summer holiday and a month-long lie-down it was José Mourinho. In May, the plot-losing Madrid manager was at war with Barcelona, UEFA, his own bosses, the Spanish FA, the Spanish League, referees and probably his own reflection if he gave himself a funny look, as the pressure of having to deliver immediate success at the Santiago Bernabeu took its toll on the Special One's suffering psyche.

That grey-haired, slouching, bleary-eyed rant-bag has been banished and replaced by an infinitely more relaxed figure, who sat in the team hotel in Los Angeles and spoke to the media for the first time since his self-imposed press exile two months ago. There was good reason for the Special One to be looking so sprightly, as Mourinho is now enjoying full control of the sales and signings at the club without having suits standing over him, tutting about marketing values or shirt sales in Singapore.
On Monday, the Real Madrid squad gathered together and headed to the UCLA campus for a second summer in a row for pre-season training and three friendly games. And as in the year before, there were no new shiny Galacticos on board the plane. Instead the new recruits for Real Madrid would barely get 80 people to their presentations, rather than the 80,000 who turned up to see Cristiano Ronaldo in 2009.

This is especially the case with 19-year-old French defender, Raphael Varane, who was signed from Lens for €10m with 'Marca' claiming that the young centre-back was the new Hierro, for lack of any other information on him. Even Michel Platini admitted that he had never heard of him in an interview with the paper.
Midfielder, Nuri Sahin, may have been the Bundesliga player of the year last season, but is hardly a household name in Spain. Free transfer, Hamit Altintop, didn't exactly set the pulses racing and nor did the purchase of former youth team player, José Callejón and his trademark wedge haircut, who joined from Espanyol.
Most money has been spent on speedy left back Fabio Coentrao, but few Madrid fans would admit to knowing that much about the former Benfica defender aside from the fact that he has bleached hair, has cost quite a lot of cash and shares the same agent as Mourinho.
The fairly low profile of the footballers reflects the control that Mourinho now has at the club with former Director General, Jorge Valdano, moved out by Florentino Pérez. Rather than Galacticos coming to the Spanish capital like Kaká, the Portuguese boss has brought in footballers he sees as being pliable team-members rather than superstars, a long way from mohican-sporting, show-boating, five sponsor-possessing Neymar for example. "We have signed players that we felt were important for completing a squad that was already very good."
Mourinho says that there is one more recruit to come over the summer in the form of a striker and the signs are that it won't be Neymar or Sergio Kun Agüero joining for €45m, despite the latter being the obsession of Florentino Pérez, but the less glamourous Emmanuel Adebayor returning for a permanent spell after a decent loan period last season. "Adebayor is better as it is closer," admitted the Madrid boss.
A second sign of the power that Mourinho now has in being able to mould the club to his own desires is the footballers that have been shunted onto the sidelines. These include Pedro León and Sergio Canales - two players brought in by Valdano that Mourinho appears to neither rate as players nor like as people - and Lassana Diarra who refused to travel to Los Angeles and instead chose to sulk in Madrid and wait for a move to the Premier League.

'Cantera' players such as Pablo Sarabia and Juan Carlos have been sold to Getafe and Zaragoza respectively, rather than being moved into the first team as Barcelona might have done. Mourinho still has little sentimentality when it comes to hiring and firing his players and feels no obligation to promote youth teamers no matter how much supporters and the press grumble when comparing Madrid's youth policy to La Masia.
Another former youth-teamer, Dani Parejo - a footballer that Alfredo Stefano thought was one of the best he had ever seen - was allowed to move from Getafe to Valencia after Mourinho decided not to activate the buy-back clause on the U-21 international.
The former Chelsea man appears to have succeeded where so many have failed, in turning Florentino Pérez away from the Galactico policy of 'Zidanes and Pavones' to a much more balanced way of doing business. While Zinedine Zidane has become Madrid's Sporting Director - although the role is not yet clearly defined - it is obvious who is wearing the trousers in this relationship.
Indeed, Real Madrid may even make money this summer if Kun and Neymar are passed over with the resale value of the transferable Diarra, Fernando Gago, Léon, Canales and Royston Drenthe potentially being greater than the current outlay of €55m.
However, this more modest strategy of Mourinho could all change if Barcelona manage the double whammy deal of bringing in Cesc Fabregas and Alexis Sánchez to strengthen for the season ahead. At this point Florentino Pérez may begin to panic and revert to default mode by bringing in a big name, against Mourinho's wishes. But until this moment comes, Real Madrid is becoming a Galactico-free zone as Mourinho begins to take complete control of the club.
By Tim Stannard
@Football365

Interview:Heartbeat of Barcelona and Spain

Many have described Barcelona's 5-0 win over Real Madrid last November as the greatest performance ever. Even Wayne Rooney admits that he stood up in his living room and started applauding.

[Xavi's face lights up]. Yeah? Really? Rooney? That makes me proud. Rooney, wow! Rooney is extraordinary, he could play for Barcelona. And before people imagine headlines like "Xavi says Rooney to join Barcelona" – although, I'd love him to! – what I mean is that he's our kind of player. That game was wonderful, the best I've played. The feeling of superiority was incredible – and against Real Madrid! They didn't touch the ball. Madre mía, what a match! In the dressing room, we gave ourselves a standing ovation.
You mention Barcelona's dominance of possession. It's tempting to conclude that we've never seen a team with an identity – for better or worse – as clear as the current Barcelona and Spain teams. It's all about possession. And that's your identity – one that seems to have become dominant.
It's good that the reference point for world football right now is Barcelona, that it's Spain. Not because it's ours but because of what it is. Because it's an attacking football, it's not speculative, we don't wait. You pressure, you want possession, you want to attack. Some teams can't or don't pass the ball. What are you playing for? What's the point? That's not football. Combine, pass, play. That's football – for me, at least. For coaches, like, I don't know, [Javier] Clemente or [Fabio] Capello, there's another type of football. But it's good that Barcelona's style is now a model, not that.
But some claimed Spain were boring at the World Cup. You kept winning 1-0.
That's upside down. It's not that we were boring, it is the other team that was. What did Holland look for? Penalties. Or [Arjen] Robben on the break. Bam, bam, bam. Of course we were boring – the opposition made it that way. Paraguay? What did they do? Built a spectacularly good defensive system and waited for chances – from dead balls. Up it goes, rebound, loose ball. It's harder than people realise when you've got a guy behind you who's two metres tall and right on top of you.
So, what's the solution?
Think quickly, look for spaces. That's what I do: look for spaces. All day. I'm always looking. All day, all day. [Xavi starts gesturing as if he is looking around, swinging his head]. Here? No. There? No. People who haven't played don't always realise how hard that is. Space, space, space. It's like being on the PlayStation. I think shit, the defender's here, play it there. I see the space and pass. That's what I do.
That's at the heart of the Barcelona model and runs all the way through the club, doesn't it? When you beat Madrid, eight of the starting XI were youth-team products and all three finalists in this year's Ballon d'Or were too – Lionel Messi, Andrés Iniesta and you.
Some youth academies worry about winning, we worry about education. You see a kid who lifts his head up, who plays the pass first time, pum, and you think, 'Yep, he'll do.' Bring him in, coach him. Our model was imposed by [Johan] Cruyff; it's an Ajax model. It's all about rondos [piggy in the middle]. Rondo, rondo, rondo. Every. Single. Day. It's the best exercise there is. You learn responsibility and not to lose the ball. If you lose the ball, you go in the middle. Pum-pum-pum-pum, always one touch. If you go in the middle, it's humiliating, the rest applaud and laugh at you.
Your Barcelona team-mate Dani Alves said that you don't play to the run, you make the run by obliging team-mates to move into certain areas. "Xavi," he said, "plays in the future."
They make it easy. My football is passing but, wow, if I have Dani, Iniesta, Pedro, [David] Villa … there are so many options. Sometimes, I even think to myself: man, so-and-so is going to get annoyed because I've played three passes and haven't given him the ball yet. I'd better give the next one to Dani because he's gone up the wing three times. When Leo [Messi] doesn't get involved, it's like he gets annoyed … and the next pass is for him.
You're talking about style over success but not only can they go together, they have to go together, don't they? Arsenal play great football, Arsène Wenger is a hugely respected coach, but they've not won anything for years. Could that happen at Barcelona?
Almost impossible. If you go two years without winning, everything has to change. But you change names, not identity. The philosophy can't be lost. Our fans wouldn't understand a team that sat back and played on the break. Sadly, people only look at teams through success. Now, success has validated our approach. I'm happy because, from a selfish point of view, six years ago I was extinct; footballers like me were in danger of dying out. It was all: two metres tall, powerful, in the middle, knockdowns, second balls, rebounds … but now I see Arsenal and Villarreal and they play like us.
Do you see yourself as a defender of the faith? An ideologue?
It was that or die. I'm a romantic. I like the fact that talent, technical ability, is valued above physical condition now. I'm glad that's the priority; if it wasn't, there wouldn't be the same spectacle. Football is played to win but our satisfaction is double. Other teams win and they're happy, but it's not the same. The identity is lacking. The result is an impostor in football. You can do things really, really well – last year we were better than Inter Milan – but did not win. There's something greater than the result, more lasting. A legacy. Inter won the Champions League but no one talks about them. People discovered me since Euro 2008, but I've been playing the same way for years. It is true, though, that I have grown in confidence and tranquillity. And that comes with success.
Has English football suffered because it embraces a different footballing culture?
It has changed; the style's a bit more technical. But before it was direct, it was about the second ball, the typical No9 was a Crouch or a Heskey and there was no football. Carragher, boom, up top; Terry, boom, up top. I think it's changing: Barry, Lampard, Gerrard, Carrick … they are players who treat the ball well. You see them now and think, Christ, they are trying to play.
Is Paul Scholes the English Xavi?
[Xavi interrupts, almost bursting with enthusiasm] Paul Scholes! A role model. For me – and I really mean this – he's the best central midfielder I've seen in the last 15, 20 years. I've spoken to Xabi Alonso about him. He's spectacular, he has it all: the last pass, goals, he's strong, he doesn't lose the ball, vision. If he'd been Spanish he might have been rated more highly. Players love him.
England seems to mistrust technical players.
It's a pity. Talent has to be the priority. Technical ability. Always, always. Sure, you can win without it but it's talent that makes the difference. Look at the teams: Juventus, who makes the difference? Krasic. Del Piero. Liverpool? Gerrard, or Torres before. Talento. Talento. When you look at players and ask yourself who's the best: talento. Cesc, Nasri, Ryan Giggs – that guy is a joy, incredible. Looking back, I loved John Barnes and Chris Waddle was buenísimo. [Open-mouthed, eyes gleaming] Le Tissier! Although their style was different I liked Roy Keane and Paul Ince together, too. That United team was great – my English team. If I'd gone anywhere, it would have been there.
In England do we overrate physical players? You mention Carragher, Terry …
Whoa! Wait! Be careful. They're fundamental. We've got Puyol. Technically he might not be the best but it's incredible the way he defends. Carragher and Terry are necessary, brilliant, but they have to adapt to technical football [not the other way round]. For me, that comes naturally – or for Messi, Iniesta or Rooney. Others have to work at it. For them it's harder to lift their head up and play a pass – but they have to.
But when a player is offered to a club, the first question is: "how tall is he?"
Have you seen [the Villarreal winger] Santi Cazorla? You think I'm small, he's up to here on me [Xavi signals his chest]. And yet he's brilliant. Messi is the same and he's the best player in the world. Maybe it's the culture, I don't know, but in England you're warriors. You watch Liverpool and Carragher wins the ball and boots it into the stands and the fans applaud. There's a roar! They'd never applaud that here.
Next week you play Arsenal again in the Champions League last 16. Are they different? A kind of Barcelona-lite?
Arsenal are a great team. When I watch Arsenal, I see Barça. I see Cesc carry the game, Nasri, Arshavin. The difference between them and us is we have more players who think before they play, quicker. Education is the key. Players have had 10 or 12 years here. When you arrive at Barça the first thing they teach you is: think. Think, think, think. Quickly. [Xavi starts doing the actions, looking around himself.] Lift your head up, move, see, think. Look before you get the ball. If you're getting this pass, look to see if that guy is free. Pum. First time. Look at [Sergio] Busquets – the best midfielder there is playing one-touch. He doesn't need more. He controls, looks and passes in one touch. Some need two or three and, given how fast the game is, that's too slow. Alves, one touch. Iniesta, one touch. Messi, one touch. Piqué, one touch. Busi [Busquets], me … seven or eight players with one touch. Fast. In fact, [the youth coach] Charly [Rexach] always used to say: a mig toc. Half a touch.
Arsenal-Barcelona always provokes questions about Cesc Fábregas's future.
If I'd ever gone to another club, I'd have been thinking about Barcelona – the link is strong. The same is happening to him. But now there's a problem: now he's expensive. But I think that a footballer ends up playing where he wants. He has to end up here.
That's not what Arsenal fans want to hear and some have accused Barcelona players, you included, of stirring trouble. Last summer there were so many remarks supposedly coming out of Barcelona …
Really? I hardly spoke then. I imagine they wouldn't have liked that. [Xavi pauses, adding quietly, almost shamefacedly] You know, often footballers don't think. We're selfish, we don't realise. I also say it because I'm thinking of Cesc. He wants to come here. Barcelona has always been his dream. But of course he's Arsenal's captain, the standard bearer, a leader. This situation is a putada [bummer] for him. He's at a club that plays his style with Wenger who has treated him well, taught him, raised him. Cesc respects him. If he'd been at, say, Blackburn it might have been easier to leave. Look, the truth is: I want him to come here. Of course. Barcelona have a very clear style and not many footballers fit. It's not easy. But Cesc fits it perfectly.
Would he replace you, though?
I don't see new players as a threat; I don't say "this is my patch". I'm more: "bring them here, let them play". The more talent in the middle, the better. Four or five years ago [people said] me and Iniesta couldn't play together. We can't play together? Look how that one turned out.
Last year, you beat Arsenal comfortably …
Yes, but this year they're much better. I think it's a disadvantage for us that we played last year. They had [too] much respect for us. It was as if they let us have the ball; we always had it, home and away. The game in London could have been a 4-0 we dominated so much – but it finished 2-2. This year will be different.
What was your reaction to the draw?
I was happy. I like the fact that we'll see a great game. Arsenal aren't the kind of team that come to try to putear you [piss you off, break up the game, destroy the match]. If it was Chelsea, you might think Madre mía, they're going to leave the initiative to you, wait deep, close up, play on the break with Drogba and Malouda. But, no, I think Arsenal will want the ball. There will be more of a game. As a fan I'd definitely pay for a ticket to see this game. Manchester United or Chelsea would play in a more speculative way. They would leave us the ball. Arsenal won't.
Does English football attract you? Spanish players always return from there raving about it.
It's incredible. Una pasada. Now that is football. England really is the birthplace, the heart and soul of football. If Barcelona had Liverpool's fans, or Arsenal's, or United's, we'd have won 20 Champions Leagues, hahaha! OK, so that's an exaggeration but I've never seen anything like it. We won 3-1 at Liverpool once and we were both applauded off the pitch. In England, footballers are respected more, the game is more noble, there's less cheating. Every Spaniard who goes loves it – and comes back a better player. If I had ever left it would have been to England.
The final is at Wembley, which makes it even more special for Barcelona, doesn't it? Last year it was special because it was at the Bernabéu but Wembley is the scene of the Dream Team's one European Cup. And this feels like a year in which you are being constantly compared to them …
In 1992, I was 12 and my brothers went but my parents wouldn't let me. I was in tears but it made no difference. I'd love to play at Wembley. It's special for Barça – and for everyone in football. Last year was more morbosa [about the rivalry with Real Madrid, almost a little dirty, titillating]. This year is more nostalgic, more classic. And I'm more of a nostalgic. Me? I'm a romantic.
@Guardian
Photo : Solarpix.com

Goal Exclusive :United Executives in Munich

Manchester United have opened talks over an £18 million move for Bayern Munich star Bastian Schweinsteiger after club officials flew out to Germany, Goal.com UK can reveal.

United executives held talks with Schweinsteiger's representatives in Munich on Thursday and were still in the German city on Friday as they look to beat Chelsea and Real Madrid to his signature next summer.
Schweinsteiger's contract at Bayern Munich expires in June 2012 and speculation has intensified over his future as he has so far rejected the German club's attempts to persuade him to sign a new contract.
United have indicated that they are willing to match Bayern's offer of £140,000-a-week in wages over a five-year contract, and Goal.com UK understands Schweinsteiger has indicated he is keen to take on a new challenge away from the Bundesliga.
A January deal has even been mooted in some quarters but Bayern are determined to do everything they can to convince Schweinsteiger to sign a new contract and will not entertain selling him until the summer. The Bavarian club have offered him a huge increase on his current £100,000-a-week deal and are ready to make him the highest paid player at the club.

Bayern president Uli Hoeness has said it is "incredibly important" for the club to keep the central midfielder but he could now be set for Old Trafford after holding secret talks with United officials at a Munich hotel.
Sir Alex Ferguson was not present at the clandestine meetings but the United manager has made the Germany World Cup star his number one transfer target as he looks to rebuild his squad next summer with a £50m transfer kitty.
The relationship between the two clubs is already frosty from the £17m deal that took Owen Hargreaves to United from the German club in the summer of 2007.
They could be heading for another clash as United look set to poach Schweinsteiger, who has spent his whole career at Bayern and, according to some reports, was close to signing a new deal with the Bavarian giants.
United were beaten to the signing of Mesut Oezil by Real Madrid last summer but are determined to land Schweinsteiger, who would cost a cut-price £18m next summer as Bayern would want to recoup some sort of transfer fee.
Ferguson has identified Schweinsteiger – known for his creative passing and drive – as the natural successor to Paul Scholes, who is 36 and closing in on retirement.
The German midfielder recently revealed that his brother constantly asks him to consider a move to United, and he could now be ready to leave Germany, where Bayern currently lie seventh in the league.
Defender Philipp Lahm, midfielder Franck Ribery and forward Thomas Mueller have all recently signed new deals to keep them at the Allianz Arena, but FC Hollywood now look set to lose Schweinsteiger.

این شکست است، نه تحقیر

:« سال گذشته که با اینتر به اینجا آمدم، در ابتدا شکست خوردیم ولی بعد باز هم بازگشتیم و این ما بودیم که به فینال لیگ قهرمانان اروپا رسیدیم.باید شخصیت داشت؛ وقتی به عنوان قهرمانی می رسی، می توانی ازشادی گریه کنی ولی وقتی 5 بار دروازه تیمت را باز می کنند، باید با انگیزه تمرین، بازی و پیروزی به زندگی ادامه دهی.»



Football Without Sir Alex ?

Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho insists that "only a special manager" can fill Sir Alex Ferguson's shoes at Manchester United when the Scot calls it a day.

The Red Devils boss will be 69 years old in December, and there has been speculation concerning who could replace him in the Old Trafford hot-seat after his retirement.

And Mourinho is not surprised that several managers have been linked with the potential job opening at the club. There have been reports that Everton manager David Moyes and Barcelona's Pep Guardiola have both been linked with the position.
However, the Portuguese coach does not envision Ferguson walking away from United in the near future.

"Football without Alex Ferguson? I’m not sure that will happen any day soon," Mourinho told The Mirror.

"The man lives and breathes football and Manchester United is his club.

"His hunger and desire to win the biggest trophies remains so I cannot see the day he considers walking away from football approaching.

"Like Real Madrid, the Manchester United job is special and only a special manager is good enough to take the job on if and when it does become available.

"Of course, jobs like that don’t become available every day so the interest will be vast. Like Madrid, it’s a job everyone will want."

Real were one of the clubs linked with a move for Wayne Rooney after the forward had expressed a desire to leave Old Trafford. But the 25-year-old recently did a u-turn and signed a five-year contract with his employers.

And the former Chelsea boss insists that the outcome was never going to be any different.

He said:"Could I ever see him leaving? Never. He is Manchester United through and through and he is working with one of the best coaches in football. He’s a great player but he belongs to United. I wasn’t surprised to see him stay, I expected it.

"There was no way Alex Ferguson would have considered selling him, not to anyone. If you take the decision to leave a club like United there are not many options open to you. Few clubs come any bigger."

For now, however, Mourinho remains intent on guiding the Bernabeu boys to silverware.

"Madrid is a special club and came to me at special time in my career," he said. "After winning my second Champions League and after my success at Chelsea and Inter, the Real job and the challenge to be successful was very appealing.

"I came to a team that had had no success for two years and faced the challenge of a very special Barcelona team and some of the great clubs in Europe in the Champions League.

"Despite everything and all the success I have enjoyed, my desire to continue winning remains. I love a challenge and this is a huge challenge for me.

"Madrid didn’t win the Champions league for 10 years, the Spanish Cup for 19 years and haven’t won the Championship for three. So there is a great deal of work to be done. I love the pressure and that is immediate at a club like this because failure doesn’t sit comfortably with anyone."

Mourinho also believes that he has about 15 years of management left in him, insisting that retirement is not something he will consider anytime in the near future.

"I still have at least 10 or 15 years left in football management," he said. "Naturally a day will come when my circumstances change and I will want to lead a quieter life.

"But it is not something I will be giving any consideration too for a long time to come."


@mirrorfootball