Mourinho’s ugly swansong
There is one saying that comes to mind which can perfectly describes Real Madrid’s hugely disappointing season: when it rains it pours.
This was certainly true of Madrid’s calamitous defeat away to Grenada last night, courtesy of a Cristiano Ronaldo own goal, was horribly punctuated by Karim Benezema’s open goal miss late in the game.
Real Madrid currently lie third in La Liga and 15 points behind the leaders Barcelona as the title race has already evaporated.
The previous season’s league triumph seems a distant memory and it is difficult to pinpoint exactly why Madrid have capitulated so spectacularly in the league this season. The squad is mostly unchanged from the one that pipped Barcelona to the title last year but it seems that the team’s general mindset is far more negative.
Constant media speculation on the future of both Cristiano Ronaldo and Jose Mourinho hasn’t helped. Ronaldo stated that he was ‘unhappy’ at Madrid and any team whose star player publicly admits that he is not happy can only have a negative effect.
It is widely believed that Mourinho will pack his bags and take on another project when season’s end comes and, again, this exterior media questioning on the matter will not help the team’s morale.
Mourinho must now know that the league is lost and, as such, he will focus all of his efforts on winning the Champions League, something Madrid haven’t achieved since 2002. The Special One is, of course, a specialist when it comes to Europe’s premier club competition but the draw hasn’t been kind to them as they take on Manchester United.
The tie also provides a chance for Jose Mourinho and Alex Ferguson to renew their old rivalry which will be a captivating sub-plot.
If Mourinho is unable to guide his team past United and into the quarter finals then his tenure at Real Madrid may be considered something of a disappointment, especially as Madrid have conceded their title in such dismaying fashion.
Be assured, though, that Mourinho will pull out every trick in the book to ensure that his swansong is a triumph and not a disaster as it is currently threatening to be.
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