Real Madrid News
Real Madrid managerial appointment almost done; confirmation later this month
Word has it that Jose Mourinho and Real Madrid are already flirting behind the scenes despite an official agreement not being reached, and the development only explains how both parties are keen on the move.
Over a decade after his last stint at the club, Mourinho appears set to replace Alvaro Arbeloa as the next manager of Los Blancos’ first team and is held in high regard by the administration.
He has already spoken to the leaders in the dressing room, including Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Jr. and Thibaut Courtois, explained his ideas to the board, and even asked for certain signings in June as he begins preparing for the soon-to-be-official move.
A matter of time
As confirmed by Fabrizio Romano now, Mourinho’s move to Real Madrid is only a matter of time. There is no doubt remaining that he is the chosen candidate, and it is only a question of ‘when’.
The only delay holding back the official completion of the deal is Florentino Perez’s surprise call for elections, which no one saw coming.
With the process having started, the club will likely have to wait until he is officially declared the president again before finalising the move.
In any case, a ‘here we go’ signalling the completion of the deal is expected later this month, and Real Madrid are thus expected to officially move on from the Alvaro Arbeloa era in the coming weeks.
A poetic end
Jose Mourinho has coached the best clubs in the world during his long and decorated managerial career, and the Italian journalist further reports that the next Real Madrid stint will be the final stop in his career.
Needless to say, it is only poetic that the ‘Special One’ is planning to close out his managerial days at the club where he coached one of the greatest teams of all time and won some of the biggest trophies on offer.
Concurrently, however, it is clear that this ‘final’ stint will perhaps be the most difficult one of his career as he steps into a dressing room filled with stubborn and egoistic players who consider themselves to be above the manager.
Real Madrid News
Rayo Vallecano manager names the one Real Madrid figure he would remove from the team
Rayo Vallecano face a daunting trip to the Santiago Bernabeu to take on a wounded Real Madrid this weekend.
Life after Inigo Perez has not been kind to the Vallecas-based club, who have already had to travel to Camp Nou and now face a trip to the home of their city giants.
Speaking ahead of the game (h/t Madrid Xtra), Rayo Vallecano manager Benat San Jose was asked which Real Madrid player he would like to remove from the team before this weekend’s game.
Surprisingly, his choice was not Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior or Thibaut Courtois.
“Mourinho”
Asked which Madrid player he would take out of the upcoming contest, Benat jokingly chose the man sitting on the opposition bench.
“Which Real Madrid player I’d remove from the match against them? Mourinho,” Benat said with a laugh.
The answer might have been delivered jokingly, but the Rayo coach immediately made clear just how highly he rates the Portuguese manager.
“He’s one of the best managers in history,” he added.
It is significant praise ahead of Saturday’s meeting at the Bernabeu.
Madrid’s squad contains enough individual quality to give any opposition coach several obvious answers, but Benat instead highlighted the influence Mourinho can have over the entire team.
That has become particularly relevant since the Portuguese coach returned to Madrid. His early work has focused on making a talented group function with greater collective discipline.
Courtois and Madrid’s attack also praised
Benat did not stop with the manager.
“They also have one of the best GKs in history and one of the best attackers in history,” he said.
Benat will definitely have seen how Thibaut Courtois played against Inter Milan in midweek and will hope that version does not turn up again this weekend.
Even when teams manage to create opportunities against Madrid, they still have to beat one of the defining goalkeepers of his generation.
At the opposite end, Madrid possess attacking quality capable of turning a match on its head.
The likes of Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham can all decide matches single-handedly.
Madrid have a point to prove
Madrid are coming off a disappointing loss to Real Betis in La Liga last weekend and will come into this game with a point to prove.
They will want to ensure that the loss to the Andalusian club was a one-off and that they return to winning ways against Rayo.
Their title rivals, Barça, have been flying high in the league, scoring goals and picking opponents apart for fun.
Madrid need to ensure that they do not hand too much early incentive to Barça, and it remains to be seen how Los Blancos fare against Rayo Vallecano.
