It’s been anything but a Merry Christmas for Real Madrid as the fall-out from their 3-2 defeat at Malaga continues to rage.
The question as to why Jose Mourinho decided to drop his captain and dressing room leader Iker Casillas has been hotly debated, with nobody buying his claim that it was a “technical decision”.
One intriguing theory is that Mourinho took the most antagonistic decision he could muster in a deliberate attempt to get himself sacked. Mourinho, the theory goes, has decided he does not want to be in charge at the Bernabeu beyond the end of the campaign, but he is disinclined to resign and forfeit the multi-million settlement fee that would result from a dismissal.
Therefore he is alienating as many people as possible to ensure that he gets the best of both worlds – leaving Madrid and receiving a pay-off. And what better way to do that than needlessly dropping the nation’s golden boy, Casillas?
Another theory relates to an argument between Mourinho and a journalist the week before Madrid’s trip to Malaga. The journalist had reported some gossip via a leak from the dressing room and Mourinho was determined to find out who had spilt the beans.
Although the journalist refused to divulge his sources, it’s tempting to conclude that Mourinho discovered that Casillas was the leak, and punished him by dropping him for the game at Malaga.
Whatever the real reasons behind the axing of Casillas, it now seems inevitable that Mourinho will leave Madrid at the end of the season, if not earlier.
That would probably suit him perfectly well. He has never felt valued or respected at the Bernabeu, and has an eye fixed on his preferred two jobs in England – Chelsea and Manchester United – which may both become available soon, along with a potentially tantalising opportunity with newly-enriched Paris Saint-Germain.
The question is when will Madrid cut the cord? With the title already practically lost, it might make sense for a new manager to be installed as soon as possible to prepare for next season.
However, that overlooks the Champions League, with Madrid obsessed with landing crown No10. An obsession some feel is behind their poor league from. Madrid’s hierarchy, led by president Florentino Perez, may decide that retaining Mourinho for a last shot at glory is their best chance of success on the European stage.
There is also the question of who would replace him. Germany coach Joachim Low and PSG boss Carlo Ancelotti are believed to be Perez’s favoured choices, but they’d be far more likely to switch jobs in the summer.
The Mourinho-Madrid soap opera is likely to continue until May. It will be fraught, but it’s going to be entertaining.
UEFA judgement a bitter pill for magic Malaga
Malaga are refusing to accept UEFA’s decision to ban them from Europe without putting up the strongest possible fight.
The European game’s governing body announced just before Christmas that the Andalusian club’s supposed failure to clear their debts means they will be barred from the Champions League or the Europa League the next time they qualify.
And with Manuel Pellegrini’s impressive team sitting pretty in fourth place as La Liga enters the Christmas break, it looks likely that ban would be enforced next season.
However, Malaga responded with a strong statement insisting a recent cash injection from Qatari owner Shiekh Al Thani had sorted the issue and now they are hastily gathering the necessary legal paperwork to take their case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne.
Malaga firmly believe that UEFA’s punishment is disproportionate to their offences, and that they are being held up as a warning to other clubs as UEFA’s much debated Financial Fair Play stipulations begin to take force over the next 12 months.
Whatever the rights and wrongs of UEFA’s case, it’s all very harsh on Pellegrini and his players, who have enjoyed a magnificent 12 months on the pitch.
First they held off Atletico Madrid and Levante to finish last season in fourth place, before overcoming the departure of several key players in the summer to mount another strong league campaign whilst also winning their Champions League group to set up a last 16 tie with Porto.
Denying Malaga’s excellent players and stoic coach an opportunity to play in next season’s Champions League would be a great shame – and that’s a scenario the club will be working very hard to avert in the coming weeks.
* For breaking news, follow us on @Sport_360 or find us on Facebook.
Related Content- Mou problems: Ramos 'shocked' by Casillas' Real Madrid snub
- Why February will make or break Mourinho's Real Madrid reign
Read more... http://www.chelseamashup.com
No comments:
Post a Comment