Mourinho answers critics with cup win
Reuters - Thursday 21 April 2011, 07:44
VALENCIA - Real Madrid coach Jose
Mourinho has answered his critics in the best possible way by
adding an 18th King's Cup to the club's trophy cabinet and
ending a two-year silverware drought on his debut season.
The Portuguese, who has now won domestic cups in his native
country, England, Italy and Spain, had earned sharp criticism
from honorary Real President Alfredo Di Stefano for his tactics
in Saturday's 1-1 La Liga draw against leaders Barcelona at the
Bernabeu.
However, the fact that Wednesday's King's Cup triumph,
courtesy of Cristiano Ronaldo's 103rd-minute header, came at the
expense of arch rivals Barca has cemented Mourinho's status
among Real fans and had them singing his name long into the warm
Mediterranean night in Valencia.
Thousands of ecstatic fans gathered at the Cibeles fountain
in Madrid for the traditional title celebration and captain Iker
Casillas draped a club flag and scarf around the goddess's neck
at around 4:15 am. local time after the victorious team arrived
back in the Spanish capital.
Casillas and Sergio Ramos were effusive in their praise for
Mourinho, who joined Real after leading Inter Milan to an
unprecedented treble of Italian league and cup and Champions
League last season.
"He is a phenomenon," Casillas told reporters in the depths
of Valencia's Mestalla stadium as the Real fans continued their
celebrations in the streets outside.
"He is the captain of the ship and with his philosophy he
tries to instil values in us that have served us extremely
well," added defender Ramos.
TREBLE CHANCE
Real President Florentino Perez hired the outspoken
48-year-old and has spent hundreds of millions of euros on
players to try to end Barca's recent domination.
And, more importantly, bring the nine-times winners success
in the Champions League again after six seasons of failure.
Real are still in with a slim chance of matching Inter's
treble, although Barca's eight-point lead in La Liga with six
games left looks to have put the title beyond the Madrid club's
reach.
Wednesday's cup triumph, their first since 1993, will
nonetheless lift the players for the two-legged Champions League
semi-final against Barca at the Bernabeu on April 27 and the Nou
Camp on May 3.
Former Chelsea and Porto coach Mourinho was at pains to
underline who was in charge when asked at a post-King's Cup
final news conference what he made of the criticism.
Di Stefano, who won five consecutive European Cups with Real
between 1956 and 1960, was scathing in his newspaper column on
Monday about Mourinho's strategy of instructing his players to
sit back against Barca and try to catch them on the break.
By contrast, he said watching Pep Guardiola's Barca side was
a "delight".
"People can say what they want but I am the coach and I
decide how we play," a weary-looking Mourinho said.
"Working as a coach is hard as there are a lot of things at
play," he added. "I try to create the best possible situation
for my players."