Jose Mourinho gave no clues about his starting 11 for Sunday's match. On one side, he made it clear that it is unwise to change what does not work.
"Only fools do not change when they think they have chosen badly," he said. But at the end of the press conference he hinted there would be many changes after Balaidos: "Making many chanes does not necessarily mean better results because if you have a guarantee then you don't mneed to make them. I think that it's not good to have such a revolution."
Nor was it clear who was Mourinho's target of considerable dimensions: If it was Karim Benzema, who he was asked about, or Lionel Messi, who played against Betis three days after leaving the field with a knee injury against Benfica: "I think that Karim isn't in condition because, for me, a player who leaves the field with an injury in a match should not be recovered to play two days later. Sometimes it happens. Sometimes a soccer player comes out in someone's arms and two days later he is ready to play. In my concept of a player, you alone come out when you can't go anymore. But we also have so many difficulties arriving that I'd like to have Karim as an option up top."
The other issue was statments made by team president Florentino Perez earlier: "I have said before that a coach should not comment on the statements of his president. You should not ignore them. You should think about them and make your own conclusions. Ther eaction you have afterwards is to analyze and then talk to the president."
Mourinho also denied having any contact with PSG, saying, "It's not true, I can only have a contract with one club and my contract is with Real Madrid."
To watch Ines Sainz's blog, click here.
To read Cuauhtemoc Blanco's take on the amazing Lionel Messi and his experience with Miguel Calero, click here.
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Besides being one of the most successful managers, Jose Mourinho is also known for his outsbursts, controversial statements about other managers, and occasional violent actions. Here are some of those moments:
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The most recent case with Brazilian midfielder Kaka, who has already declared war on Real Madrid, because he was kept off the first team squad. The feud has reached the point that the Brazilian categorizes Mourinho as "a bad person".
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Another of the most memorable outbursts was against Tito Vilanova, current coach of Barcelona, who Mourinho stuck a finger in the eye of during the final of the Supercopa of Spain, when Vilanova was assistant to Pep Guardiola. Vilanova forgave him, but the ex-Catalan president, Joan Laporta, considereded him a traitor for having attacked from behind.
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But Mourinho's controversial statements are nothing new, as demonstrated when his resume was criticized and he said, 'I have no resume? Who won the Champions League? It was me (with Porto). I am The Special One.'
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In 2006, when Mourinho was the manager at Chelsea, he said that Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger was too concerned with Chelsea. 'I think Wenger is a voyeur, he only talks about Chelsea,' Mourinho said.
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Mourinho also said that Manchester United benefitted vfrom arbitration. Ferguson responded: 'I think Mourinho should sew his mouth shut.' The two later made peace.
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Another manager Mourinho had problems with was Rafa Benitez, who when he succeeded him at Inter, the Portuguese said: 'I thought he was going to thank me for the title I gave him,' referring to the Champions League.
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As the manager at Real Madrid, he accused Sporting Gijon of losing a match purposely to Barcelona. Gijón's manager, Manolo Preciado (pictured), said that Mourinho was a scoundrel and a bad person.'
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Mourinho's also had problems with the Barcelona players. When coaching at Chelsea, he gave Carles Puyol a 'friendly' slap in the face.
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Of course, Pep guardiola has also been a target of Mourinho's comments. When Barca won its first Champions League title under Pep Guardiola, Mourinho credited the referees, saying, 'He won a Champions League title I would have been ashamed to win.'
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