Is Jose Mourinho good for Real Madrid?

Jose Mourinho or the ‘Special one’ is certainly special in more ways than one, much was expected of the manager when he took over Real Madrid, he had a very fine season with Inter the season before, he won the sensational treble with the Italian club, players like Materazzi cried and hugged the manager to bid adieu to the special one, this goes to show that that manager takes no time to establish a bond with the players which is great. Every great manager has complete control over the dressing room and Mourinho is one manager who certainly succeeds in doing so. 

Mourinho is very passionate about what he does, there are very fine examples of the same, after the first leg against Barcelona the manager was restricted from sitting in his dugout and later handed a five match ban, this again goes to show that he is very passionate and wants to win all the time. 

He won Madrid the Copa del Rey title in his first season which is quite an achievement considering the fact that the team defeated Barcelona in the final, many consider Barcelona as the best team in the world. The right mixture of youth and experience is very important and under Mourinho many youngsters have made their debut, this again goes to show that the manager wants young players to play for the first team. He was instrumental in the signings of Ricardo Carvalho and Mesut Ozil from Chelsea and Werder Bremen respectively and both players had a very impressive season, Ozil was instrumental in creating several goals and Ricardo Carvalho’s defending ability was a very big boon for the club, this goes to show that the manager knows what players to sign, he is sagacious and knows how to hold the team together and get the best out of them. 

Mourinho got his tactics wrong against Barcelona in the first EL CLASICO of the season, Barcelona defeated Real Madrid 5-0 at the Nuo Camp, the team also failed to perform consistently throughout the season as a result of which Barcelona won the La Liga, after the first leg defeat Mourinho changed his tactics and defeated Barcelona in the Copa del Rey, the team played well against Barcelona in the Champions League also but the sending off of Pepe changed the whole complexion of the tie, this goes to show that the manager learns from his mistakes and does not repeat the same mistakes over and over again like few other managers. 

The track record of the manager speaks for itself; he has won at least one trophy in a year with every club that he has managed to date. He won the Champions League with FC Porto; he won the Champions League again with Inter Milan. His home record also speaks for itself; he has the most enviable home record. Is he good for Real Madrid? Yes, he is certainly good for the club; he has a lot to prove to fans and he will do it in the seasons to come.

Mesut Ozil: The New Midfield Magician

Bought from Werder Bremen, the German cost Real Madrid €15 million, he has been one of the most consistent performers of the season, his ball control and vision is exceptional, not for nothing do the fans call him the German Zidane. He has been instrumental in setting up several goals and he has also managed to score a few himself which is always good for the confidence of a player. 

The 2010 World Cup changed everything for Ozil, he was instrumental in the demolition of England and played a key role in the good run of the German national side in South Africa. His goal against Ghana in the World Cup was truly stunning; his overall contribution in the World Cup was immense. There were a number of other clubs who were interested in his services but Real Madrid wasted little time in signing this midfield magician. 

"We in Germany are prone to rave about foreign players. We praise Wayne Rooney to the heavens, likewise (Cristiano) Ronaldo or Messi. But we have our own Messi. Our Messi is Ozil." Germany Under-21 manager Horst Hrubesch once said, Ozil is currently one of the best players in the World. 

He wasted little time in becoming the fans’ favorite, after his first two games the Madrid fans game him a standing ovation which is no ordinary feat. Ronaldo won the Pichichi last season, Ozil was instrumental in Ronaldo’s success, the midfielder gave quite a few assists to Ronaldo, overall it was a great season for Ozil who would be looking to do better and win more silverware with Real Madrid next season. 

To be precise the midfielder gave 17 assists last season which is just one short of Lionel Messi who leads the assists table. This is a great contribution considering the fact that it was his first full season, he took very little time to acclimatize, and he took to the field like a duck takes to water and proved his ability to the fans. 

The player also managed to score 6 league goals which is not bad for a creative midfielder, his partnership with Ronaldo and other forwards is bound to become better with time. Ozil is bound to win trophies at Madrid, his hard-work and dedication will surely make him a better player in seasons to come.

The 9 European cups of Real Madrid

European cup which is now known as the UEFA Champions League has been won by Real Madrid 9 times, this is also a record. No other club has won the European cup or the UEFA Champions League 9 times. Real Madrid has made it to the finals 12 times, winning on 9 occasions and losing on 3 occasions. 1956 was the very first time when Real Madrid won this competition; it was also the first time when the top clubs in Europe competed against each other to win the much coveted European cup. Real Madrid played Stade Reims in the final; the final was played in Paris. Real Madrid beat Stade Reims 4-3 and lifted the European cup. Di Stefano, Rial and Marquitos were all on the score sheet, Rial scored twice to ensure that the Real Madrid lifted the inaugural European cup. 38,239 was the attendance in the final and it was a high scoring game which was enjoyed by the fans. 

Real Madrid successfully defended the European cup the following year, the final of the competition was played at the Santiago Bernabeu which is also the home ground of Real Madrid. Italian club Fiorentina made it to the final but was beaten by a superior Madrid side who scored twice in the final, Fiorentina could not score even a single goal and Madrid successfully defended the European cup.  Di Stefano scored the first from the penalty spot and Gento sealed the victory for Real Madrid. 

Real Madrid again won the European cup in the year 1958 to make it three in a row, this time they met AC Milan in the final and it was a very closely contested final, the two teams were locked at 2-2 and the match went into extra-time, Gento scored in extra-time to lift the European cup for the third consecutive time.

Real Madrid won the European cup for two more back to back years in 1959 and 1960, they beat Stade Reims once again in the year 1959, in 1960 they beat Eintracht Frankfurt of Germany in the final. 

Real Madrid had to wait for 6 long years to win the next European cup; they won their sixth European cup in the year 1966. Partizan made it to the final only to be beaten 2-1 by Real Madrid. Amancio and Serena both scored in the final, the final was played at Heysel stadium, Belgium. 

The seventh title took a lot of time to come; Real Madrid won the seventh title in the year 1998, Juventus made it to the final only to be beaten by a solitary goal scored by Mijatovic. 

Madrid lifted their eight title in the year 2000, they comprehensively beat Valencia 3-0 in the final, Morientes, McManaman and Raul all scored in the final. 

The ninth title was won in the year 2002; Real faced Bayern Leverkusen in the final, the German team was beaten 2-1 in the final thanks to a stunning volley by none other than Zidane.

Catching up on Real Madrid summer news

Snippets:

            Real Madrid won its first trophy under Jose Mourinho by beating Barcelona on the final of the Copa del Rey. The game went into extra-time when the two teams failed to score in normal time, an extra-time header by Ronaldo was enough to hand Real Madrid its first title under Jose Mourinho. Sergio Ramos inexplicably dropped the trophy from the team bus while the team was celebrating its victory over their arch rivals, the broken trophy is now back at the Real Madrid museum. 

Kaka May Move:

            Kaka is one player who is yet to settle at the club, niggling injuries have prevented the Brazilian from showing the fans what he is capable of doing, there are several clubs lining up for his signature. Chelsea is one club that has consistently been linked with the player, Manchester City and Inter Milan are also said to be interested in the services of the highly rated player. 

Best players of the season: 

            Ronaldo is without a doubt the player of the season, he netted 51 goals and also broke the La Liga record for most goals in a single season, the player has been scoring for fun and much is already expected of him next season. Mesut Ozil has had a very good season, the German was bought from Werder Bremen last season and he has impressed the fans in his first full season for the club. Ricardo Carvalho who was bought from Chelsea has also had a very good season under Jose Mourinho.

New Additions:

Real Madrid have secured the services of Nuri Sahin, the midfielder won the Bundesliga title with Borussia Dortmund last season and much is expected of him. The club has also signed Hamit Altintop on a free transfer from Bayern Munich.

Estadio Santiago Bernabéu

Estadio Santiago Bernabéu is one of the most amazing stadiums in the world; it is the home ground of Real Madrid. The stadium was earlier known as Nuevo Estadio Chamartín, the stadium has a whopping capacity of 80,354. It is one of the biggest stadiums in the world, only a few other stadiums can accommodate as many fans as Estadio Santiago Bernabéu. 14 December 1947 was a great day in the history of Real Madrid; this was the day when this stadium was inaugurated. Some very crucial games have been played in the stadium, 1957, 1969, and 1980 European cup final was played at the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu. 

The UEFA Champions League was played at Estadio Santiago Bernabéu in 2010 which Inter Milan won 2-0 beating Bayern Munich, Jose Mourinho was then the manager of Inter Milan, they beat Barcelona in the semi-finals that year. The World Cup was also played at the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu in the year 1982 which Italy won defeating East Germany 3-1. 

The stadium was first renovated in the year 1954; some very drastic changes took place back then. The capacity of the stadium was increased to accommodate 125,000 spectators; the stadium became one of the biggest in the whole wide world. 4 January 1955 was another important day, the name of the stadium was changed to its present name in the honor of the club president Santiago Bernabéu.

Electric stadium lighting was used for the very first time by the club in May 1957, some very major changes took place in the year 1982. Spain hosted the World Cup that year and the stadium was renovated once again to follow the instructions of FIFA. The club installed a roof covering which brought down the capacity of the stadium from 120,000 to 90800, the press area; the locker rooms were renovated that very same year.

Florentino Perez became the president of the club in the 1990s and he decided to make the stadium better, he heavily invested in making the stadium better. He launched a master plan and the first step was to improve the overall quality of the stadium. The lateral east side of the stadium was expanded and as a result of which the capacity of the stadium again decreased, it was brought down to its present capacity of 80,354. 1000^th game was played on the turf of the stadium in the year 2007.