Real Madrid versus Tottenham Hotspur ought to be enough of an attraction but tonight’s Champions League clash is rapidly turning into the battle of the egos.
Harry Redknapp and Jose Mourinho divide opinion like no other managers. Not surprisingly both men are the best of friends.
Real and Spurs have slipped out of their domestic title races in recent weeks raising the stakes for both managers in tonight’s match at the Bernabeu Stadium.
Last season Mourinho won the Champions League for Inter Milan but that didn’t prevent him from being loathed throughout Italy and the old magic has been transferred to Spain. Clearly the former Porto manager thrives on notoriety.
Back a home win for Jose at 2/5
On Saturday a nine year unbeaten home record that stretched from Porto to Madrid via Chelsea and Inter Milan was ended by Sporting Gijon with sympathy for the special one thin on the ground.
Gijon coach Manolo Preciado said: “Mourinho is a low-life, a very bad colleague and an out-of-control egomaniac. If nobody at Real Madrid is going to tell him what respect means, I will.”
Preciado isn’t alone oin his contempt for the Real boss, Valencia head coach Unai Emery admitted: “Mourinho is inaccessible, disrespectful and without a minimum sense of dignity.
“All because he wants to be the centre of attention. In Spain there are a lot of coaches who have no power and are constantly up against the ropes. Then Mourinho arrives with everything at his disposal.
“So, please, let’s have some respect for those who aren’t in such strong positions.”
There is no doubt that rubbing people up the wrong way is something that Mourinho thrives in.
Referring to Manuel Pellegrini, his predecessor at Madrid, Mourinho said: “At least if I get sacked, I won’t end up somewhere like Malaga.”
The president of Malaga council was short and snappy in his reply: “He is conceited, rude and a complete clown.”
Wheeler dealer Redknapp used his pre-match press conference to announce that it would take a world record transfer fee to take Gareth Bale away from White Hart Lane.
In their first ever Champions League campaign Spurs have beaten both Milan clubs but are struggling to qualify for next season’s tournament.
Those results have swelled a campaign to install ‘arry as the next England manager , a situation that the Spurs boss is using to his advantage.
Asked if he felt appreciated by the power brokers at Spurs he answered: “If they’ve got any brains, they do. If they haven’t, they won’t.
“Getting into the top four in the league is so difficult. When have we finished above Chelsea, Arsenal or Manchester United? I must have missed it if it happened in the last few years.
“If Manchester City don’t finish top four after spending £140m, there’s something wrong there.
“We’ve had a difficult couple of games but we’re only five behind Chelsea with a game in hand. In the past, we’ve been 18, 20 or more behind them.
“As long as I know I have done a good job, I don’t care too much what others think.”
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Dealing with speculation surrounding the sale of Gareth Bale Redknapp warned: “If someone is going to come along and offer millions of pounds to move him and he is going to get fantastic wages, it is difficult for them not to get their heads turned.
“It’s part of football but Daniel deals with it and we don’t want to sell him.
“I saw what happened at West Ham once you start selling off your prized assets. We let Rio Ferdinand and Frank Lampard go and the rest followed. If you are looking to build a club, you can’t be selling Gareth as then Luka Modric wants to go and someone else wants to go.
“Then you end up where they were four or five years ago, finishing halfway up the table each year.
“Yes, Man United sold Cristiano Ronaldo but they got £80m, he’s Portuguese and it is more his lifestyle here than Manchester may have been.
“So, in the end, it was good business. But we wouldn’t be wanting to sell a player like Gareth at this time, when we’re trying to build the club. It would have to be an amazing figure if we ever sold him. But how do you replace a player like that?
“The day Gareth says he wants to go, or his agent says he wants to move, there is very little you can do about it.
“But I don’t see that happening. He signed a deal but maybe he doesn’t want to sound unambitious and if people ask him whether he wants to play for one of the top European clubs one day, I am sure that he would.
“I don’t think he’s ready for that, though. He is only a boy and needs a few years playing at home. He has plenty of time to do that later in his career.
“I don’t know what he earns but I am sure he is earning big money. He arrived at the airport in Spain and the Press were swarming all over him. But he is still learning the game, he has a lot to learn.”
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