Hopefully I’ll get around to a game post at some point, preferably before the next game rolls around, but I think I’ve enjoyed their summer vacation too much for the lack of game posts. In the meantime, you’ll have to make do with another daily post…
Mou’s going to yell at him…
José Mourinho gave his boys the morning off (he went shopping, see below) and in the afternoon, they held a training session. It was a light recovery session, although Sergio Ramos left the session due to pain in his lumbar area 20 minutes after it started. Álvaro Arbeloa said later on during the press conference that it didn’t seem too serious. he schedule for Monday will be the same, with the players getting the morning off and training at 17h in a closed session (the first 15 minutes will be open to the press).
The twins spoke to the press after the session – they’re really inseparable, aren’t they? Zipi (Raúl) said they got “positive conclusions” from the game, and that they have improved a lot since last year, since the same game last year was “much more complicated.” Meanwhile, Zape (Álvaro) called this team “one of the best in Real Madrid’s history. We have a game every four days and so it’s necessary to have a roster as complete as this one.”
They were both also asked about Rafa Varane. Albiol said, “he has a lot of potential,” while Arbeloa described him as “mature,” and said he sympathized with him because “integration without knowing the language is not easy; it happened to me.” And when Álvaro was asked “Kun or Neymar?” he responded that this is a question for the míster, not for the players, although he did say, “we were happy with Manu last year. If he returns, we’ll be happy to have him with us again.”
As stated earlier, Mou went shopping in the morning around Beverly Hills, accompanied by a bodyguard. He was seen in the Ralph Lauren store, and it wasn’t hard to spot him, considering he was wearing Real Madrid clothes, and both his shirt and his pants had his initials on them (J.M., not T.S.O.). Plus, he had a Real Madrid backpack, making him look years younger (not in a good way). See more pictures here. The rest of the players rested in the hotel, with the exception of Nacho, Joselu, Mejías and Jesús, who also went shopping.
Other Madrid news: Madrid has finally formally announced the transfer of Ezequiel Garay to Benfica. Meanwhile, Garay and his Argentine teammates are out of the Copa América after Uruguay defeated them after a penalty shoot-out. Pipita Higuaín scored during the game and also made a penalty shot, but it wasn’t enough. Apparently, Mou will give Pipa, Ángel di María and Gago (if the latter somehow finds a way to stay) two weeks off, as they’re not expected in Spain until Aug. 1. Then Higuaín and Di María will join Madrid on their summer tour, while Gago will remain with the rest of the players that Mou is not counting on in Valdebebas.
Not even Pipita’s cute little ass could save Argentina.
Speaking of those players, Sergio Canales told Marca in an interview that José Mourinho hasn’t spoken with any of the four descartes left at Valdebebas while the rest of the team is in Los Angeles. He also said that he’s told the club he wants to stay in Spain, and they’re still negotiating for him to go somewhere, although his mind now is on the U-20 World Cup, not the club.
In an interview with Defensa Central, Pablo Sarabia told the site that he chose Getafe because he likes their project, because they have young players, and because he knew they really wanted him and will give him the opportunity to play in the first division. However, he’s not thinking of following the paths of De La Red or Granero in returning to Madrid, at least not at that moment, because “my only goal is to play as best as I can in Getafe and to work every day to gain the confidence of the coach.” However, he won’t forget about Madrid because “I have a ‘white’ past that will always be there, although right now I belong to Getafe, and I’m entirely focused on helping Getafe to win every game throughout the season.”
Pablito also took their little test. The toughest defender you’ve faced: Raúl Goni. Real Madrid has taught me… how to be a person and many things related to football. FIFA or ISS PRO? PRO. Favorite music? I listen to everything. A place to lose yourself? The Mayan Riviera. A word that defines you as a person: caring. The most influential person in your life: my parents and my girlfriend. A place you’d like to visit? Miami.
And we also have some reader submissions! Cammy sent in these photos and said with regards to the photo where Arbeloa is whistling, “He was whistling because the golf cart left him so he was calling it back.” Other observations: “Arbeloa has been showing his sense of humor the past two days, he would stand up and wave at the crowd from the cart and would joke with the crowd. Xabi spent a good amount of time with the fans. He spoke to fans in Spanish and English and was very pleasant. Iker was always the first one in and out, spending the most time with fans. I got to see him up close and his profile is a killer, perfect!”
And Peggy attended the first “galactic” press conference, saying it was “truly an amazing experience.” She also observed Iker “looking adorable” while all the English talking was going on, Iker and Cris whispering jokes to each other, and Cris being “fidgety.”
Kelly and her sister went to watch the open practice on Friday, and she got Ozi and Arbeloa’s autographs! However, they got there too late to watch from the stands, so they went to the gym and watched from the second floor, right above where the goalkeepers were, and Iker looked up at them and waved! She sent in a few pictures of moments that she probably knew I couldn’t resist commenting on – that annoying hand gesture (come on Ricky!) and the perfection of Iker, despite Adidas’ best attempt to turn him into a fruit.
Reader Eylem caught Nuri Sahin on a Turkish talk show in mid-June, and was kind enough to provide some highlights for us. Among those highlights:
on signing for Madrid: it was like a dream. I didn’t regain consciousness for about two weeks. I kept asking myself, “am i really going to play for Real Madrid?” After I signed with Real Madrid, there were some nights where I woke up and thought, I’m with Real Madrid now, and then I went back to sleep. [Adorable, no?]
on Mou: I visited the club and met with José Mourinho face to face. We chatted and drank tea. He explain his point of view to me, and told me that he had followed me when I was in Dortmund, and in which position he thought I would play in.
Nuri also said he and his wife started learning Spanish seven or eight months ago because he had teammates from Argentina and wanted to learn Spanish to communicate with them. He added that he and Mesut are good friends and they talk on the phone every two or three days.
