The first question put to Aitor Karanka by journalists on Tuesday was one of an existential bent: âÂÂwhy are you here?âÂÂ
All José MourinhoâÂÂs assistant could do was dodge the honest answer that the Bernabeu big wigs donâÂÂt trust his boss and have come over all âÂÂbuck, buckâ chicken by stitching up poor Aitor by hurling him in front of the press before the Levante match rather than the main man of Madrid.
Unsurprisingly, few of the questions related to WednesdayâÂÂs Copa del Rey clash, but instead Karanka was forced to straight bat a series of gonad-endangering googlies concerning the clubâÂÂs campaign against referees and the failed relationship between Jorge Valdano, MadridâÂÂs Sporting Director, and his rebellious underling, José Mourinho.
Karanka had been handed this thankless task after a virtuoso press conference display by Mourinho after SundayâÂÂs Sevilla match where every fluid ounce of his spleen was vented in a very public place.
The Portuguese coach complained that he wanted a direct meeting with his president and hinted that he was feeling exposed by his bosses after a series of little spats during the year which included the tiff with Manuel Preciado, being sent off against Murcia and then suspended by UEFA for the Ajax yellow card affair.
And then thereâÂÂs the referees in Spain who are apparently running a campaign against his players with only Mourinho being man enough to mention it.
However, The Special OneâÂÂs real ball-busting issue is being told by Valdano that there will be no purchase of a new striker in the winter window - something that has been demanded since the summer - despite Gonzalo HiguaÃÂnâÂÂs back injury and Karim Benzema proving perhaps once and for all to be utterly unreliable.
This was a club-tearing clash that was bound to come at some point or another despite MourinhoâÂÂs claim at the beginning of his tenure that he has no problems working with Sporting Directors - aside from those who publicly insult him perhaps as Valdano did when writing an opinion piece in Marca in a few years before suggesting that MourinhoâÂÂs footballing style was not exactly easy on the eye.
Although the football media in Spain like nothing more than making much ado about nothing, the rift between Mourinho and Valdano appears to be a serious one with TuesdayâÂÂs Marca claiming that there is a âÂÂtotal divorceâ and that the two football figures âÂÂcouldnâÂÂt even look at each otherâ during the clubâÂÂs Christmas lunch on Monday.
The situation has worsened, claims Marca on Wednesday, which is like a child in a messy divorce torn between its big man-love for Mourinho and its masters at the Santiago Bernabeu.
The open support from Florentino Pérez that âÂÂJorge Valdano best represents the image of the clubâ cannot have âÂÂmade Mourinho any happierâ notes WednesdayâÂÂs panic-stricken editorial entitled âÂÂunity, unity, unity; football, football, football; calm, calm, calm.âÂÂ
Curiously, MarcaâÂÂs rivals, AS, appear to be enjoying the whole affair enormously and are even speculating that Inter may try and bring MadridâÂÂs misbehaving manager back to Milan with Rafa BenÃÂtez now jettisoned.
All week, the paperâÂÂs editor, Alfredo Relaño has been hand-wringing over the affair claiming that MourinhoâÂÂs paper waving antics after the Sevilla win meant âÂÂgoodbye to the image granted by a hard-fought victory won with blood, sweat and tears. Instead its arguments, disunity and an ugly message.âÂÂ
On Tuesday, Relaño wrote an editorial stern enough to see him poked repeatedly with sick sticks by Madridista security guards with his confession that, âÂÂI admire Barça, their labour of love for an idea, cultivated with care for years. Madrid used to be like that.âÂÂ
Speaking of Barça and their press is positively wetting its pants over the whole messy business at the Bernabeu with SportâÂÂs Josep MarÃÂa Casanovas chuckling that âÂÂMourinho is a bad loser, so he turns against his own club.âÂÂ
The Catalan columnistâÂÂs colleague, Joan Batlle, says that there is a single root cause of the clubâÂÂs turf war. âÂÂThe problem is called Barça,â claims Batlle, âÂÂwanting to play like Barça, wanting to buy the style of Barça without realising that itâÂÂs impossible.âÂÂ
Miguel Rico over at Mundo Deportivo agrees completely writing that âÂÂthe internal crisis of the old Galactico empire is exaggerated by Barça, not referees.âÂÂ
A big win over Levante on Wednesday night and a Christmas break where all the pugilistic parties can return to their corners should see some sort of calm returning to the club by the new year and the first league game against Getafe on 3rd January. But that peace and goodwill to all men will only last until Mourinho opens his mouth again. If he is ever allowed to, that is.
Clearly, not all is well within the Madridista world, with the coach unhappy at the way he is being treated by his bosses and bringing the clubâÂÂs players onto his side of the turf war. âÂÂThe club is the presidentâÂÂs, the team is MourinhoâÂÂs,â announced Iker Casillas on Tuesday.
This brewing civil war certainly isnâÂÂt good news for Real Madrid and their dream stated by Marca for the Treble in 2011. However the ongoing rift and rumble is going to be a treat to be enjoyed by everyone else in the new year to come.
