Real Madrid grabbed a narrow win on Sunday against Rayo Vallecano, as the La Liga leaders cut it fine in anticipation of the upcoming gathering for the next set of international games. Mourinho has put an emphasis on the fact that he doesn´t like that the team splits up with players going away to play games with their national teams, butright now I think he likes the idea. During the past week Madrid has scrambled a victory against an far inferior team and only grabbed a 1-1 draw against CSKA Moscow in the Champions League. Having witnessed these last two games it’s clear that there has been an insecurity surrounding the team and Mourinho has had to defend himself (as is often the case when Madrid do not perform) and has put the tone of his words in the weight of the opponent, saying that the other team made it hard for us.
During Silly Season last summer, Real Madrid did very little and this has started to lead to some signs, not in games but in players. Real Madrid will beat CSKA Moscow for sure but some players are starting to see a future away from the capital, including the likes of Lassana Diarra, Esteban Granero, Raúl Albiol, and even the former Ballon D´Or winner Kaká. There will be a reshaping during the summer, regardless of who trains the team. As for the case of Gonzalo Higuaín – no one knows, even though the player in question has retirated that he wants to stay in Real Madrid for a long, long time to come.
After having signed most of the Galacticos in world football with the likes of Kaká, Xabi Alonso and Cristiano Ronaldo all signing during the same summer (the budget was way big back then) Mourinho has tried to build a team with a famous team spirit, without making the ”big” signings. There was big faith in the signing of Nuri Sahin but according to Emilio Butragueño the player is not capable of performing on this stage. A move could be on the cards there too. Mourinho has already identified a potential replacement in the form of Athletic Bilbao´s Javi Martinez. I guess Sahin will never really get a chance to prove his worth.
I´m not writing this to make a point regarding who we should sign as that´s not the intent, but rather signalling the need for a change in the troops. You can´t have a troop where some players are more or less frozen out for various reasons, and you can´t as a trainer tell Higuaín that he has the same potential to play games as Benzema, when that’s patently not true. During the game against Rayo Vallecano, Mourinho gave Higuaín a real mouthful, because Higuaín was complaining about Cristiano not passing the ball when Higuaín had a open goal in front of him. That shows what kind of untouchable Cristiano is for Mourinho.
And that´s what it´s all about for ”Mou”. He wants to build untouchables. There has always been and will always be certain aspects when coaching Real Madrid, where you learn that the team often of the times are united, yet divided when it comes to the players, themselves wanting to be the biggest star on the team. I adore Cristiano Ronaldo with all my Madridismo-heart for all that he has done so far, but I know that Mourinho would have liked for more players to play like him in the team. That´s why a rebuilding is hugely important in the summer, and according to rumours Mourinho will get anyone he points at and wants.
Manuel Pellegrini, who ultimately lead the Galacticos version 2.0, the often derided, even though his Real Madrid broke a previous Madrid-record. Real Madrid are currently breaking at least the most important of records in La Liga and it will be interesting too see if the team will let this continue to fall into place, or focus on the Champions League’s later stages. I can at the same time feel that Mourinho has become a little tired of all the media fuzz in Spain, and that he needs something to motivate him in the summer to come, or else he´ll leave. That´s why i expect 4-5 signings in the summer, replacing the ones that never would like to leave but will be forced too, be it on loan or on sale.
Who will profit from this summer clear out remains to be seen, but with English clubs like Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea all looking to shore up their squad, there wont be a shortage of offers.
Introducing the neat little app that’ll pay you to view content tailored to your interests:
ThisisFutbol.com are seeking new writers to join the team! If you’re passionate about football, drop us a line at “thisisfutbol.com@snack-media.com” to learn more.