Thank You ‘Special One’

By El Maestro

Thank you Jose Mourinho for being our manager for the last three seasons.

Thank you for accepting the challenge of taking this historic organization that was lost for so many years and putting it back where it belonged.

Thank you for all the great memories.

Thank you for putting us back on the map.

Thank you for allowing us all to dream once again.

Thank you for showing us the right path to success.

Thank you for showing us that our enemies were really inside the club.

Thank you for exposing who the real villains were.

Thank you taking the ‘piperos’ from the Spanish press by the horns and putting each and every single one of them in their place.

Thank you for having the balls that no one had to do what you felt was right for the team, even if it meant leaving a fan favorite on the bench.

Thank you for speaking your mind and holding nothing back.

Thank you for making us a world-class team again after so many years of mediocrity.

Thank you for defending this magnificent club through think and thin.

Thank you for being the only one to defend this club.

Thank you for making Real Madrid a competitive team in Spain and in Europe once again.

Thank you for leveling the gap between us and Barcelona.

Thank you for finding the formula to beating Barcelona.

Thank you for putting us on the same level as the top European teams.

Thank you for the trophies you brought to the club.

Thank you for breaking the six year streak of falling in the 2nd round of the Champions League

Thank you for taking us to three straight Champions League semifinals.

Thank you for getting the best out of every single one of these players.

Thank you for making us contenders in Europe again.

Thank you for pouring every single ounce of energy into this club.

Thank you Jose. You are truly ‘The Special One’.

From all of us here at Real Madrid Social Club, we say thank you Jose Mourinho for everything and wish you nothing but the best at your next stop. We hope that one day you will return to finish the job you were not allowed to complete.

Until then, farewell for now.

!Jose Mourinho, Jose Mourinho, Jose Mourinho, Jose Mourinho!

What will the future have in store?

By El Maestro

Florentino Perez confirmed on Monday afternoon that Mourinho will no longer be the manager of Real Madrid next season. What I and many madridistas feared has become reality. Others, like ‘piperos’ madridistas (those who buy what the Spanish press says) and the Spanish press will be jumping for joy. At this point, it looks like Ancelotti will take over, although names such as Klopp, Heynckes and Benitez still continue to stir. However, a new coach will not stop Real Madrid from the uncertain future that awaits them. What Florentino did was destroy the solution, not the problem. Madrid was a team that was controlled by the players and the ‘piperos’ in the press before Mou arrived and put order. With ‘The Special One’ at of the picture, players and press will be able to control Madrid once again, unless Florentino is somehow able to surprise us all. On one hand, I don’t see Real Madrid exactly turning into the team that completely made a fool of themselves, such as getting KO in the second round of the Champions League or losing to a 2nd Division B team in the Copa del Rey. Madrid has a lot of talent and depth, and I’m pretty Mourinho would have left some lasting effect on this team. However, I don’t see a bright future for Real Madrid. For years, what Madrid was lacking was a coach with a strong personality that would make sure both the players and organization were running on course. When Mou arrived, he made his presence known right from the beginning. He immediately showed the problems and what the path to get Real Madrid back to winning ways was, but now that dominant figure is gone. As I said earlier, it looks like Ancelotti will be the new coach hired for next season, although nothing is confirmed.

My honest opinion:

To begin, I honestly hope Florentino doesn’t sign Ancelotti who someone I have nothing against. He is a very good manager, but I just don’t think he’s the right one for Real Madrid. Although he’s doing great with PSG and did a magnificent job with AC Milan (winning 2 Champions Leagues), his last few seasons with the ‘Rossoneri’ weren’t exactly the best and couldn’t hold his wait at Chelsea. In his two seasons with the ‘Blues’, he did win the Premier League and FA Cup in his first season, but was knocked in the 2nd round and quarter finals of the Champions League (by Mou’s Inter and United) and crumbled under the pressure of his owner, which raises my question. If Ancelotti couldn’t handle the pressure of coaching in England, how is he going to manage it in Spain where the press will turn on him if things don’t go as they want? I could be wrong though, but there is a great way to find out if Ancelotti is the right man for the job. If Casillas is the starting keeper next season, then we’ll have our answer (we’re screwed!).      

Either way, bringing in a new coach will not solve anything. Real Madrid may or may not win titles, but nothing is going to change. The only way Madrid can return to those epic glory days is if Florentino runs the organization the same way they do in England where the coach is in charge. With Mourinho, what made all madridistas happy was that he was the one calling the shots. Mou made the signings, starting 11’s, decided who would speak to the press, and if anyone would talk to the press. Florentino had a perfect opportunity to show everyone that Real Madrid is a club run by the coach and he missed it. Until then, if a big name player (like Casillas) or the press is not happy with the coach, then they will do everything it takes to get him out. We all knew Mourinho would eventually leave, but when that day came I thought Florentino would realize that to continue the great work, he would need to hire a coach that has a personality similar to ‘The Only One’. Someone who can get the best out of the players, keep the press away from the club, and not be afraid of doing what he thinks is right. The only way Floren can somewhat savage the situation is by still getting Casillas and any of his followers out of the dressing room, but that seems very unlikely. Again, the future does not look bright and only time will tell what happens at Real Madrid.

The only thing that makes me happy about Mourinho leaving is at least he and his family can finally be happy again and do not need to worry about the Spanish press anymore.

Thank you ‘Special One’ for these 3 magnificent years and hope to see you again in the future.

Real Madrid vs. Atletico de Madrid Final de Copa Recap

By El Maestro

If Mourinho leaves, get use to this. No, not losing in finals like the Copa del Rey, but FAILURE. In fact, forget about finals, Real Madrid will most likely go back to the team they were before Mou arrived. When they went six years without making it past the round of 16 of the Champions League (seven without reaching the semifinals), were a joke in La Liga that got their ass handed to by Barcelona, and made a fool of themselves in the first round of the Copa del Rey. All because Florentino is more worried about the public image of the team by keeping ‘El Topo’ instead of being concerned with the future of the team on the field and staying with Mou on the bench.

Game Analysis:

Now talking about the Copa del Rey final. For Atletico, the stars aligned. Usually, the saying was that anything that could go wrong would go wrong for the ‘Rojiblancos’. Today, that’s exactly what happened, but on the contrary. We felt those problem. With the 1-1 score line, Real Madrid hit the post three times, Higuain missed alone in front of keeper (no surprise), and Ozil blew two open goal opportunities stopped by Juanfran on the line and an unbelievable stop by Courtois. Along with that, Madrid lost their cool, which saw Mourinho (unfairly) and Ronaldo get kicked out. Ultimately, the night was completely with Atletico scoring the game winner off a mistake from the Diego Lopez (what I’m surprised is that many have not noticed this).

Lets also not forget Madrid took the lead after fourteen minutes through Ronaldo’s brilliant header. A goal which probably did more harm than good. Before that moment, Real Madrid were playing well, had clear ideas, and looked posed to win. Once they took the early lead, they not just completely took their feet off the gas peddle and let Atletico play, they had no ideas or creativity when trying to get an attack going. This eventually led to the side from Manzanares tying the game ten minutes before halftime. Then everything unfolded the way it did. When Ozil had his opportunity blocked by Juanfran, I started to feel that it wasn’t going to be Madrid’s night. Then when Courtois made that incredible block, I knew it would not end well.

Against any other team, you’d just continue playing, but since it was against Atletico, you knew something was not right. ‘El Centenariazo’ part 2 has occurred, and it was against our city rival who had not beaten us in 14 years. There’s nothing we can do now. Begin by congratulating Atletico de Madrid on the Copa del Rey crown and start planning next season. We will end this campaign without a trophy (unless you count the Spanish Supercup) and with many problems to figure out.

Won or Lost, the off season would have been the same:

In reality, winning the Copa del Rey wouldn’t have changed anything. Yes, we would have had a title, but the season wasn’t a good one in general. Real Madrid still would have had to answer the same questions in the off season.

Will Mou or Casillas stay (no-brainer, we’ll see what happens)? Who will leave? Who will come? What changes must be made?

The biggest question that must be answered (hopefully Floren picks the right one) is Mourinho and Casillas. This decision will determine the future of Real Madrid for years to come. If Casillas stays, forget about success no matter who’s the coach in charge. The players wouldl run the show and tell the coach (who ever) what to do, which will lead to more FAILURE. I say “who ever” because everyone knows the coach is going to be someone of Casillas’ liking that will make sure he plays in goal every game.

Meanwhile, Mourinho’s Chelsea side (if he leaves) would win the Premier League, compete for the Carling and FA Cup, and go far in the Champions League (semifinals, final, champions). While Madrid fall back into mediocrity and sits home on their couch after being eliminated in the Round of 16, LIKE BEFORE.

On the other hand, Real Madrid would have years of success if Florentino stays with Mou and tells Iker to pack his bags. Despite this bad season, Mou has proved to everyone that he’s leading Madrid on the right track to glory (although some don’t want to admit it): 3 Champions League semifinals, 2 Copa del Rey finals, 1 Copa and La Liga title, and a Spanish Supercup. That sounds great knowing where we were before and the fact that we’re going up against a great Barcelona team. Florentino would also be sending a strong message to the ‘piperos’ in the Spanish and worldwide press that the coach is in charge at Real Madrid and not the players. Once Casillas is out of the picture, the next process would be to get rid of any of his followers, such as Kepler (TRAITOR). Real Madrid would cleanse the dressing room and eliminate any ‘big voices’ among the players. They all would follow the line set by Mourinho. After doing this, Real Madrid can then start strengthening the squad for next season. Selling under performing and unimportant players, and making fundamental signings that will improve the team and also obey Mou. Having Jose Mourinho as manager, Florentino and his staff giving him all their support (defending him from criticism), and an improved and unified squad with no problematic egos will lead to titles.

Like I said, this will all come down to Florentino. Will he make the right decision or crumble under the pressure. He has proven in the past that he can make the big decisions, like getting rid of Valdano, but this is a new scenario. Before making this decision, Florentino must really think about what he wants for Real Madrid: to have a good image or WIN! In the next few weeks, we’ll find out in what the decision is. 

Choose wisely Floren!

Espanyol vs. Real Madrid Recap

By El Maestro

Before turning their attention to next Friday’s Copa del Rey final against Atletico de Madrid, Real Madrid had to focus on their league match up against Espanyol. Despite the very little importance, Mou traveled to Barcelona with a squad of 26 players, which included injured players (Ozil, Ramos and Marcelo) and canteranos such as Llorente and Casemiro. After reducing the squad to the game limit of 18 players (Adan, Jesus Fernandez, Kepler, Ramos, Marcelo, Coentrao, Khedira and Ozil), Mou made a starting 11 thinking ahead of the final next week.

Diego Lopez

Varane        Albiol        Carvalho        Nacho

Essien        Modric

Di Maria        Kaka        Morata

Higuain

The game would not get off to a great start for Madrid as Varane would leave the game in the 17th minute due to an injury. To add more problems, Espanyol took the lead in the 22nd minute after Stuani took advantage of Madrid’s sloppy defending. Real Madrid’s 1st half performance was below par. They lacked creativity, enthusiasm and the ideas to create chances. In fact, they were lucky not to go into halftime 2 or 3 goals down.

The 2nd half was a little better from Real Madrid. To begin, Mourinho took off Morata for Benzema to give the team that creativity they were missing. Then in the 55th minute, on came ‘La Maquina’ to give a new spark. Things began to change and Real Madrid would equalize two minutes after Ronaldo’s entry when Modric’s free kick was headed into the goal by Higuain.

Madrid began to gain some control of the game and create opportunities to score, but were not able to capitalize and take the lead. In stoppage time, Espanyol would got down a man when Victor Sanchez was given a straight red card for a hard tackle on ‘El Pipita’, but did not have an impact on the rest of the game. At the end, Real Madrid would leave Cornellà-El Prat with a 1-1 draw. Unfortunately, the tie now means Barcelona are now champions of the 2012/2013 La Liga, even though we all knew it would eventually happen.

We’re out of the Champions League and La Liga is now officially lost, leaving la Copa del Rey as the only competition left. Real Madrid has six days to prepare for the final, which will be help in our own stadium. By then, Mourinho should have all his players fit, excluding Varane who is doubtful. Even if Varane is not ready, Real Madrid has more than enough depth to cover the center back position. It is very important for Madrid to finish the season with a title under their belt. Even though it’s Atletico, Real Madrid can’t walk in thinking la Copa is already won because then it will become ‘El Centenariazo 2’. Only this time, it could be worse than the 1-2 loss to Deportivo in 2002 on Madrid 100th year anniversary. Real Madrid must play exactly the way they did against Borussia Dortmund in the 2nd leg of Champions League semifinal: playing the way they know and leaving it all on the field. There is just one thing they must do differently. When Madrid get a chance to score, TAKE IT. Don’t leave the game for late. Beat Atletico, win la Copa del Rey trophy and end the season on a high.

!Hala Madrid! !A por la Copa!

  

Real Madrid vs. Malaga Recap

By El Maestro

There is not much to say about today’s game. Real Madrid took care of Malaga, and thrashed the side from Andalusia 6-2. Albiol opened the scoring inside two minutes with a brilliant header that beat the keeper. Malaga quickly responded twelve minutes later after poor defending off a corner allowed Santa Cruz to equalize. Madrid would be given a great opportunity to regain the lead when Ronaldo was taken down in the box and were rewarded a penalty. This resulted is Sergio Sanchez being red carded for being the last man. Despite the occasion, Willy Cabellero stopped Ronaldo with the tip of his foot (more on this later). However, Madrid would get another chance to score from the 18-yard box, this time when Malaga was called for an illegal back pass picked up by the Cabellero. This time, Ronaldo did not miss and placed it into the top corner of the net.

Minutes later, Real Madrid would make it 3-1 when Ronaldo started a quick counter attack and provided a wonderful through ball for Ozil, who left his defender on the ground with a brilliant maneuver, and put it past the keeper. Regardless, Malaga would not go away easy and got a goal back with a fabulous upper-90 shot from Antunes.

Then came the historic moment. Willy Cabellero would leave the game due to injury, but it didn’t happen due to a collision or landing awkwardly on his leg. The injury came from his penalty save against Ronaldo. In other words, Ronaldo injured Cabellero with his powerful shot. WOW! I’m pretty sure we all thought this would eventually happen.

In came former Espanyol keeper, Carlos Kameni, but even he couldn’t prevent what was coming. Just before halftime, Madrid would recuperate their two goal advantage when Ronaldo broke Malaga’s offside trap, held his position alone in front of Kameni, and past to Benzema who tapped it into the wide open goal.

The 2nd half was much of the same with Madrid implementing their dominance. In the 63rd minute, Real Madrid would put the game out of reach with a wonderful strike from Modric, who was taken off a minute later for Di Maria. For Malaga, the game went from bad to worst when Demichelis received his second yellow and left his side with nine men. With the game under control, Mou used the opportunity to put in Fabinho, a 19-year old Brazilian canterano, who came on for Coentrao. Real Madrid made it 6-2 in stoppage time with a beautiful shot from Di Maria that was unreachable for Kameni.

Unfortunately, the only downside of the game was Ozil who had to be carried off after suffering an injury in what looked to be his ankle. At this moment, it’s not clear what the injury is and whether he will be available for the Copa del Rey final next Friday against Atletico de Madrid.

Other than this, great overall team performance.

Teaching Madridistas about Madridismo

By El Maestro

When asked after the Dortmund game last Tuesday about whether he would stay with Real Madrid next season, Mourinho responded that maybe not and that he wanted to be where he is loved. He also said that in England he is loved and in Spain he isn’t. With these comments, it’s very clear what he wants. Mourinho wants to be appreciated, not by the Spanish press, but the fans. Mou can care less about what the Spanish press thinks of him, but he wants the fans to give him the same appreciation as Chelsea and Inter fans give him. However, instead of showing their support, a lot of Madrid fans have gone the exact opposite way. The very next day after training, many Madrid’s fans took the liberty to boo and heckle Mourinho when he was driving out of Valdebebas. Now they were just a few Madridistas, not a big number. I would think the fans would show their support during the Valladolid game right? WRONG! More than half the stadium booed when his named was announced.

So Mourinho, a guy who has had a rough time with the Spanish press, is asking for support from his home fans, and not even they could give him that. Looks like were are going to have to teach Madridistas about Madridismo. We cannot do anything about the press, which is an impossible battle. They will continue with their anti-Mou campaign and do everything to run him out of the country. On the other hand, we can do something about the fans. What Mourinho is asking for is something we all want from our professionals. We want to be liked by the people who surround us in the work force. Mourinho has expressed what he wants, which is very reasonable, but instead numerous Madridistas have turned their backs on the ‘The Special One’. Incredibly, the only place where Mourinho is getting support is from Chelsea, who’s fans are doing everything in their power for his return.

I find it unbelievable that many Madrid fans would think what Mourinho is doing is disrespectful towards Real Madrid. All Mou has done in the three years he’s been in charge is do his job the best way possible. I can understand Madrid fans who are not happy with a few things he is doing, but to boo and want him to leave is something I do not agree with. At this very moment, we should all be doing everything we can to show Mourinho that we support him and want him continue as our coach. It’s very clear that these fans who boo have a very short memory and do not remember what life was before he arrived. Between August 2003 until June 2010, Real Madrid only won four trophies (2 Ligas and 2 Supercopas de Espana), the farthest we made in the Champions League was the quarter finals, we went six straight years without getting through the round of 16, and we made a complete fool of ourselves in the Copa del Rey against Real Union and Alcorcon (4-0, if anyone remembers). Not to mention we were completely humiliated by Barcelona, who beat us 2-6 in our very home.  Since Mourinho arrived in 2010, Real Madrid has regained the competitive edge. We won ‘La Liga de los records’ (100 points and 121 goals) last season, we are now at the same level as Barcelona who we beat in the Copa del Rey final in 2011 and in the 2012 Spanish Supercup (also including 1-3 victory in the Copa del Rey semifinal this season), and we’ve made it to three straight Champions League semifinals. Did we win ‘La Decima’? No, but this shows were are on the right track to doing so.

Probably the biggest reason why fans have turned on him is because he bench Casillas. To make it clear, Mourinho did not bench him because of a personal grunge. He did it because Iker wasn’t playing well nor performing his duties as captain at all well. Mou did it to help him regain the form he once had, but somehow the fans took this as an offense. All this is going to have to come down to Florentino once the season ends. He’s going to have to pick between two people: Mourinho or Casillas. Both have many followers.

I’m not going to go as far as to say that anyone who supports Iker over Mou isn’t a Madridista, because we all have different opinions. However, I will say who ever thinks this way is picking the wrong side. Who ever sides with Casillas is picking for Real Madrid to be run by the players, which was one of the reasons why we were in a mess for so many years. We as Madridistas cannot allow this to happen again. A football organization is just like any profession. There is a boss and employees who listen to whatever the boss tells them. On the field, Mourinho is the boss and the players are the employees, simple as that. When Mou is critical with them, he’s not that way because he wants to mess with them. He’s doing it because he wants them to improve. If Mourinho leaves and Casillas stays, it will be a strong indicator that the players run the show at Real Madrid, which means there will be no reason to hire a coach. In fact, if Mourinho can’t fix this situation, what makes anyone think someone else will. Ancelotti, who is the supposed favorite for Florentino, could barely handle the job at Chelsea. How is he going to handle the pressure that come from the players, fans, and press? He will get eaten alive.

If Madridistas really want the best for Real Madrid, then this has to happen. Florentino must tell Mourinho that he is the right guy for the job and will give him all the power he requests. He must also do a better job at defending Mou against the ‘piperos’ who attack him. Once this happens, the most important step if Florentino wants Real Madrid to win is to GET RID OF ANYONE WHO DOES NOT FOLLOW MOURINHO. In other words, the players who must leave are Casillas and all his followers in the dressing room. At Real Madrid, it is the coach who is in charge, not the players. Every player on the team must follow Mourinho and the ideas he has in place.

If Real Madrid wants to have years of success, Mourinho must stay and any player who doesn’t want to follow his vision must go.

!Hala Madrid!

!Jose Mourinho, Jose Mourinho, Jose Mourinho, Jose Mourinho!

Real Madrid vs. Valladolid Recap

By El Maestro

After the crushing semifinal elimination on Tuesday, Real Madrid turned their attention back to La Liga to take on Valladolid. Despite the 4-3 score line in favor of Madrid over a team that is battling for survival, the game in general was very thrilling and entertaining. Valladolid was the side who opened the scoring early in the 7th minute after Oscar took advantage of a mishap between Di Maria and Carvalho to put himself alone in front of goal and put it through the legs of Diego Lopez. However, Di Maria would contribute to the equalizer in the 26th minute when his shot was redirected in by Vallodolid defender Marc Valiente for an own goal. Six minutes later, Real Madrid would take the lead through ‘La Maquina’ with a brilliant header to beat Jaime. Then when it looked like Madrid had the game under control, a Vallodolid would tie the game three minutes later through Javi Guerra.

Thankfully, Kaka would regain the lead for Madrid early in the 2nd half when Di Maria’s through ball, intended for Benzema, was deflected and fell to Kaka who shot past the keeper to make it 3-2. In the 69th minute, Ronaldo would get his second with another beautiful header to give Real Madrid a two goal advantage. Just three minutes before stoppage time, Vallodolid would make things interesting when Lluis Sastre cut a goal back with a fabulous strike from outside, making it impossible for Diego. Regardless, Real Madrid would hold on for the win and maintain their year long winning streak in the Santiago Bernabeu.

Quick analysis over Tuesday:

Unfortunately, I was not able to write a recap for the return game against Dortmund. At the same time, I did not want to finish without writing a quick note about that game. Even though Madrid did not qualify for the final in Wembley, I was still very proud with their performance. Real Madrid did exactly what we all asked and left every ounce of energy they had on the field. They made a great attempt, but just missed the Champions League final by one goal. ‘La Decima’ will have to wait another year. Hopefully next year, with Mourinho at the helm, will be our year.

!Hala Madrid!