Real Madrid News
Florentino Perez’s closest advisor seeking complete restructuring at Real Madrid – report
Real Madrid’s Champions League exit at the hands of Bayern Munich capped off yet another disappointing season for Los Blancos.
With only the La Liga left to play for, where Barcelona already hold a solid advantage, Real Madrid are on the verge of going trophyless for the second successive season.
This hasn’t gone down well with the club’s hierarchy, with president Florentino Perez already sounding out a warning to the players soon after the Bayern Munich defeat.
Perez’s adviser wants reconstruction
According to El Mundo, Anas Laghari, the closest adviser of Florentino Perez, wants a complete reconstruction of Real Madrid following back-to-back trophyless campaigns.
This doesn’t just mean the players are now at risk of being shelved in the coming summer, it appears Laghari wants to completely change Real Madrid from ground up.
As such, Juni Calafat is one of the faces who is facing an uncertain future at Real Madrid.
Calafat currently serves as the chief scout for Los Blancos and was the brains behind the operations to sign Vinicius Jr. and Rodrygo, among others.
Apart from that, he plays a key role in advising Real Madrid on top talents, and naturally, he was involved in the club’s recent transfers as well.
Santiago Solari is also not safe. The Argentine serves as the Director of Professional Football at Real Madrid and for a time, was touted as a momentary replacement for Xabi Alonso after he was fired earlier in the year.
Both Calafat and Solari are facing an uncertain future at Real Madrid and could themselves be leaving the club if Los Blancos do indeed opt for a complete operational overhaul in the coming summer
Real Madrid News
Mourinho reacts to Vinicius suspension: “Why announce it two hours before an important match?”
Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho has questioned the RFEF Disciplinary Committee’s decision to announce Vinicius Jr.’s four-match suspension just hours before their UEFA Champions League meeting with AS Roma on Wednesday.
The Brazilian has been hit with a four-match ban for his red card against Villarreal, meaning he will miss the matches against Sevilla, Barcelona, Racing Santander, and Valencia.
And, speaking to Movistar+ (h/t MARCA) before the match, the Real Madrid manager was asked whether the punishment could affect the Brazilian psychologically.
Mourinho instead turned his attention to the football authorities and the timing of their announcement.
“I think that is a question for the Committee. Why have they announced the suspension at this particular moment? If you are asking me this question, it is presumably because you think it could affect him,” the Portuguese coach replied.
“You should ask the Committee why they did not announce it this morning, or tomorrow morning. Why do they do it two hours before a match that is important for Real Madrid, which is a Spanish club?” he added, questioning the timing of the decision.
Mourinho explains his tactical approach against Roma
The Real Madrid manager also outlined his plan for facing a Roma side known for their aggressive pressing.
“My intention is to stop them from pressing us so high up the pitch, given the players we have available and as a precaution,” he said.
Continuing, the Portuguese manager added: “They press man-to-man higher up the pitch better than anyone else, and we will see whether we can take advantage of that. If not, they will have to drop their press five or ten metres.”
Why Rudiger over Huijsen
Mourinho also justified his decision to start Antonio Rudiger at centre-back alongside Ibrahima Konate rather than Dean Huijsen.
“They played very well together in the last match, Rudiger and Konate, showing great leadership and the ability to withstand a difficult situation when we had ten men for 30 minutes,” he said.
“I am not saying Dean is not capable of playing a match like this, but this is a wonderful atmosphere for Roma and a difficult one for us. I think a player with Antonio’s experience can be important,” Mourinho added.
Finally, Mourinho was asked about his emotions ahead of returning to face Roma, the club he managed between 2021 and 2024.
The Portuguese coach offered a brief response, saying that he had his feelings about the occasion “blocked”.
