Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho boasted of “very, very, very good” relations with the club’s bosses on Monday, after their latest 1-0 away loss to Real Betis Balompie.
Some Spanish media had speculated about tensions between Mourinho and Real Madrid president Florentino Perez as the club trails 11 points behind La Liga leaders Barcelona.
“I have very, very, very good relations with the president,” as well as managing director Jose Angel Sanchez and other club members, the Portuguese coach told a press conference. “Relations could not be better.”
Some Spanish newspapers said Mourinho wanted Real Madrid to show greater support for his complaints about refereeing and the fixtures calendar, which he judged unfair to the team, but the coach said he was not calling on the club to say anything.
“The club is sovereign. It is up to the club to decide if it is happy with this line,” Mourinho said.
Mourinho refused to discuss Saturday’s loss to Betis at the press conference, held on the eve of Real Madrid’s Copa del Rey clash with CD Alcoyano.
“Now is the time to talk about the Cup. At the end of the season, with all the results in hand, we will sit down calmly and analyze the situation,” the Portuguese coach said.
Meanwhile, midfielder Xabi Alonso on Monday jumped to Mourinho’s defense.
“The club is behind the coach, the team too, and I think the fans as well. Jose Mourinho is the best coach that we could have,” Alonso said. “We accept criticism and if it comes from the coach then we take it into account even more.”
Real’s next La Liga game is against Atletico Madrid, who are sitting second, three points behind Barcelona.
“It’s not a surprise that Atletico are there. They’re a big team, with a great coach [Diego Simeone] who keeps his entire team on their toes,” Alonso said.
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