Jose Antonio Camacho, Manager Osasuna
If that ongoing dynamic was not enough in itself a leading Spanish soccer magazine “Don Balon” reported this week that the Club President, Florentino Perez, is of the view that winning trophies is the only thing that matters now and his patience is being tested in that regard. In what can best be summed up as the traditional "put up or belt up" scenario the report suggests the President finds the Portuguese managers foibles rather tiresome.
Undoubtedly for Mourinho it is the standard daily fare of football management and reminiscent of his time at Chelsea and Inter Milan.
For the Special One the only thing that matters is player loyalty – on and off the field – which he usually achieves by winning them trophies. With La Liga slipping a bit and a second leg of the Copa del Rey with Sevilla imminent and the knockout stages of the Champions League fast arriving, that still remains the sole focus of the squad. For Mourinho winning trophies solves all the day-to-day intrigue.
But based on the performance at Osasuna the loyalty was tested as Madrid struggled to impose themselves on the home side even when €126Million worth of signings came on in the second half. In fairness to Kaka, Xabi Alonso and Emanuel Adebayor the game was lost at that point with Real unable to establish any better rhythm given all three lacked match fitness.
The lack of defensive cohesion, ironically the hallmark of all Mourinho teams, was the major concern, with the absence of Alonso for most of the game - due to his mid week illness - most noticeable. Yet with such costly assets in the squad it is striking that the team lacked the usual organisation and Mourinho seemed unable to redress that lack of balance.
Jorge Valdano meanwhile maintained upbeat and believes there are enough games left for Mourinho to make up for dropped points.
"This club doesn't give up easily," said Valdano after the match, according to Madrid's official
"This was an unexpected outcome, but we have to pick ourselves right up. There is a lot of season left and we have the talent to win all three competitions."
Reflecting on the encounter in Pamplona, Valdano stated: "The game was a bit out of control when [Emmanuel] Adebayor came in. He is fast and makes his presence felt. I am sure he will contribute good things as he continues adapting.
"This was a tough result to swallow, but we are not throwing in the towel. We are an ambitious team and we have learned from what made this club great."
"Some matches take much more effort than others, but there is no need to be concerned about the future. We have proven that we can play well.
"We have the narrowest of margins heading into Wednesday's Copa tie [against Sevilla], but we play in front of our fans. We know how to play in finals, but we must qualify first."
The happiest man in the twenty thousand seat Reyno de Navarra stadium was undoubtedly Jose Antonio Camacho, the former Spanish and Real Madrid manager, and playing stalwart of the side in the 70's and early 80's. In his time he came to know how damaging Real Madrid management can be walking out on the club the second time he was there after only days.
He also has had a previous tussle with Jose Mourinho having managed Benfica in 2004 where Camacho also emerged victorious in their encounter in the final of the Copa de Portugal in May of that same year. Although Porto went on to win the League and the Champions League weeks after Camacho stopped the Mourinho treble with Benfica's 2-1 victory.
For Camacho Sundays’ night win therefore was most enjoyable.
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