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Real Madrid eye De Gea switch

Basil Naumov — Sun, 24 Feb 2013 21:12:32 +0000

Real Madrid are seriously considering the possibility of signing Man Utd goalkeeper David De Gea, who has had mixed fortunes at Old Trafford since joining the club in 2011.

Young Spanish goalkeeper has been struggled to adjust to the Premier League style of game, not least of all due to the sheer lack of physique. And Real Madrid are ready to offer the talented keeper an escape route from Old Trafford.

Casillas has long been touted as the best goalkeeper in the world, but he picked up an injury and could be on the sidelines up until the end of the season. However this is not the only reason. Real Madrid are planning for the future and consider De Gea to be an ideal long-term replacement to their firm number one.

The Meringues will try to sign the player in summer, irrespectively of whether Jose Mourinho stays at the club.

According to the recent speculations, Man Utd have convinced Stoke City goalkeeper Asmir Begovic to sign a pre-contract agreement with the club and he is poised to join the Red Devils in summer. Should the deal go through that would cast serious doubts on De Gea’s long-term future at the club.

Casillas will return in March

Cyrill Kirushkin — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 08:25:31 +0000

Real Madrid goalkeeper is expected to start training in a month.

The shot-stopper of the capital club Iker Casillas who sustained hand injury in January claims that his recovery is progressing.

“I have a month to go. Things are really looking up. My doctor expects me to be back in another four weeks. I’m doing active exercise and I can move my finger now,” stated the captain of the running Spanish champions.

The player fractured a bone in his hand during Copa del Rey fixture against Valencia.

Mourinho divides Real

Cyrill Kirushkin — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 07:45:35 +0000

Iker Casillas’ girlfriend Sara Carbonero claims Mourinho does not communicate with Real players.

TV journalist and the girlfriend of Real Madrid captain Iker Casillas Sara Carbonero revealed on the sports program ‘La Jugada’ that the Portuguese coach of the Royal club is opposed by the team. Carbonero stated: “The atmosphere in the team is not good. It is common knowledge that the footballers do not get on with their coach at all. Right now there is a rift in Real dressing room and they will have to wait until the end of the campaign to see if Mourinho leaves, because he has got a lot on his plate at the moment”.

Recent news from Real has already suggested that head coach does not get on well with the squad as Casillas and Sergio Ramos reportedly threatened to move from the team if the tactician does not leave at the end of the season.

Casillas is sidelined for three months

Cyrill Kirushkin — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 14:36:20 +0000

The keeper was kicked in the hand at 18 minutes of the Cup match against Valencia

The club officials claimed that x-ray check showed that Casillas suffered a fracture at the base of the first metacarpal on his left hand

“The injury will be assessed again by a specialist later today to decide what treatment will be followed,” Real statement reads.

The treatment is likely to take up to three months according to the reports which means the shot-stopper will miss the Champions League clashes with Manchester United in February. Antonio Adan who was selected by Jose Mourinho in several previous fixtures causing fans’ dissatisfaction will replace the player.

Iker Casillas:”Mourinho doesn't speak to me about the situation”

Cyrill Kirushkin — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 11:41:41 +0000

The goalkeeper says manager’s decision is a challenge

During the press conference on Thursday Real Madrid captain Iker Casillas revealed Mourinho “wake-up call” only helped him to get a new challenge. The keeper stated: “I am not upset that Mourinho claimed that I felt too comfortable. I should train with even more enthusiasm and get his trust”.

The player though revealed he did not talk about the situation with the manager, stating “The manager doesn’t have to speak to me about this situation, and he didn’t when I was playing”.

Spain international also explained why he refused to take the armband from Cristiano during the game against Celta, saying: “I didn’t take the armband as he was on good form and it was much better for Ronaldo to wear it.”

Mourinho opposes the fans

Cyrill Kirushkin — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 08:08:44 +0000

Real Madrid fans openly confronted the Portuguese manager after the club’s captain Iker Casillas was left on the substitute’s bench for the second game in a row.

The capital club nicked an exciting win in the Sunday fixture against Real Sociedad 4-3 coming from a two-goal deficit. Yet the match will also be remembered by the discontent the fans showed before the game as the supporters booed and whistled when the name of the head coach was read out.

Jose Mourinho claimed after the match that he does not like to be a hero all the time adding “If the fans whistle me for keeping Iker on the bench, it is fine, and if they whistle me for bad performances, that’s also OK by me.”

La Liga Matchday 18: Vilanova is back!

Cyrill Kirushkin — Sat, 05 Jan 2013 15:09:48 +0000

While Barcelona faces fast-progressing Espanyol in derby on Sunday the most exciting point about the game is that Tito Vilanova will finally rule the team from the dugout.

The Catalan coach made quick recovery after undergoing surgery in December and already came to the training session on Wednesday. It is reported that the manager started the course of chemotherapy and radiotherapy and would alternate work with treatment.

Currently Barca is leading the league winning 16 games and drawing just once. Espanyol under the new coach Javier Aguirre are 18th, yet they were not defeated in their last four fixtures.

Real Madrid fans are worried about the atmosphere in the team as Jose Mourinho left on the substitute’s bench captain Iker Casillas in the away game against Malaga. The capital club lost in the game 3–2 and the manager had to explain his decision before the game against Real Sociedad. The Portuguese tactician underlined that permanent place in the starting line-up is not good for any player, adding “confidence is important so is competition, and we will try and strike that balance.”

With the return of Gonzalo Higuain after a two-month recovery from the hamstring injury, Madrid coaching staff will show what conclusions they draw after the first half of the season.

MatchDay 18 fixtures:

Zaragoza 1-2 Betis
Levante - Athletic
Granada - Valencia
Deportivo - Málaga
Sevilla - Osasuna
Celta - Valladolid
R. Madrid - R. Sociedad
Barcelona - Espanyol
Mallorca - Atlético
Rayo - Getafe