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The Real Madrid manager, José Mourinho: a purveyor of 'Jurassic football' according to one Spanish press report.
If José Mourinho was feeling disgusted after Barcelona's controversial 2-0 victory over his Real Madrid team, the Spanish press contained little to soothe his feelings.
While figures from both sides offered predictably opposed views about the dismissal of Pepe which had such a major effect on the Champions League semi-final first leg at the Bernabéu, most commentators took a dim view of the Portuguese coach's approach to the game and his complaints afterwards.
Marca awarded the German referee, Wolfgang Stark, only 3/10 and noted that in the past four Clásicos Madrid had ended up playing with 10 men and that when Mourinho had faced Barcelona with Internazionale and Chelsea (twice) he had also had a man sent off. But Marca's bloggers were less sympathetic to the Portuguese.
Roberto Palomar referred to Mourinho's "Jurassic football" and claimed: "Mourinho has perverted history and has lost the emotional boost that used to go with taking the field at the Bernabéu in the European Cup. Before they played with a 12th man. Nowadays, with 10."
Fernando Carreño suggested that rather than complain about the refereeing, Madrid fans should question Pepe's studs-up challenge and Raúl Albiol's grabbing of Pedro Rodríguez's throat, ask why Kaká and Gonzalo Higuaín were left on the bench after dazzling against Valencia "or if the best that Real Madrid with a squad costing €500m can do is to leave the ball with the best ball-playing side in the world and play on the counterattack".
He went on: "To be forever complaining, and especially with complaints of this nature, doesn't seem to be a credible or acceptable posture" for someone in Mourinho's position. "Real Madrid, in my opinion, is a great club that deserves something better. If your approach is results-based and you don't get the result, what's left?"
In an online poll more than 72% of Marca's readers disagreed with Mourinho's comments that referees favoured Barcelona. (Some 78% felt Pepe's red card was correct.)
El País praised Barcelona and Lionel Messi in particular for striking down a "rickety" Real Madrid who, it said, had been inferior before and after Pepe's sending-off and whose only tactic was to frustrate Barcelona. It did, though, observe that for all their superiority Barça had had only two real chances in the first half. "For along time Barcelona have done more playing than scoring."
Barcelona-based Mundo Deportivo gloried in their team's victory under the headline "A foot and half in Wembley". It also published a handy recapitulation of Real Madrid's disciplinary record pointing out that the merengues were Europe's most punished club for non-sporting matters.
AS, on the other hand, reported that referee Stark had entered in Madrid's rogues gallery. "His mistake was to show a red that should have been yellow, but his worst sin was to leave us without any football to analyse … because for a long time to come all that will be talked about will be the colour of the card, the noise and the conspiracy denounced by Mourinho."
Real Madrid's players echoed Mourinho's criticism of the game's key decision. According to Xabi Alonso: "The sending-off radically changed the game,"
Emmanuel Adebayor told AS: "It's a man's game and every time you play against Barça, every time you touch them, they throw themselves to the ground and cry like a baby.
"I've played them three times and each time we've ended up with 10 men. Everyone talks about Barcelona's fair play, but I think they're a long way from fair play. Any contact and they go to ground and cry, putting their hands to their face. Barça is a fantastic club, who play fantastic football, but they should cut that out."
Ronaldo agreed. "It's always the same against Barcelona. Is it a coincidence?"
Asked about the performance of Messi – who Marca said produced a goal "straight from the videoconsole" – he replied, "Messi? Against 10 it's easier. I wish I could play against 10 men like he gets to."
But the Portuguese also indicated that he was uncomfortable with his team's tactical approach. "I don't like playing like this but I have to adapt."
Barcelona's Gerard Piqué was predictably unsympathetic to Real Madrid's complaints. "Before going down to 10 men they hadn't played any football. When you play with fire, at the limits of violence, you get burned."
Xavi was more direct. "They have nothing left but to play dirty because that's what their coach drums into them. I wouldn't dream of playing that way and Barça cannot let ourselves play that way. Football was the winner."
While figures from both sides offered predictably opposed views about the dismissal of Pepe which had such a major effect on the Champions League semi-final first leg at the Bernabéu, most commentators took a dim view of the Portuguese coach's approach to the game and his complaints afterwards.
Marca awarded the German referee, Wolfgang Stark, only 3/10 and noted that in the past four Clásicos Madrid had ended up playing with 10 men and that when Mourinho had faced Barcelona with Internazionale and Chelsea (twice) he had also had a man sent off. But Marca's bloggers were less sympathetic to the Portuguese.
Roberto Palomar referred to Mourinho's "Jurassic football" and claimed: "Mourinho has perverted history and has lost the emotional boost that used to go with taking the field at the Bernabéu in the European Cup. Before they played with a 12th man. Nowadays, with 10."
Fernando Carreño suggested that rather than complain about the refereeing, Madrid fans should question Pepe's studs-up challenge and Raúl Albiol's grabbing of Pedro Rodríguez's throat, ask why Kaká and Gonzalo Higuaín were left on the bench after dazzling against Valencia "or if the best that Real Madrid with a squad costing €500m can do is to leave the ball with the best ball-playing side in the world and play on the counterattack".
He went on: "To be forever complaining, and especially with complaints of this nature, doesn't seem to be a credible or acceptable posture" for someone in Mourinho's position. "Real Madrid, in my opinion, is a great club that deserves something better. If your approach is results-based and you don't get the result, what's left?"
In an online poll more than 72% of Marca's readers disagreed with Mourinho's comments that referees favoured Barcelona. (Some 78% felt Pepe's red card was correct.)
El País praised Barcelona and Lionel Messi in particular for striking down a "rickety" Real Madrid who, it said, had been inferior before and after Pepe's sending-off and whose only tactic was to frustrate Barcelona. It did, though, observe that for all their superiority Barça had had only two real chances in the first half. "For along time Barcelona have done more playing than scoring."
Barcelona-based Mundo Deportivo gloried in their team's victory under the headline "A foot and half in Wembley". It also published a handy recapitulation of Real Madrid's disciplinary record pointing out that the merengues were Europe's most punished club for non-sporting matters.
AS, on the other hand, reported that referee Stark had entered in Madrid's rogues gallery. "His mistake was to show a red that should have been yellow, but his worst sin was to leave us without any football to analyse … because for a long time to come all that will be talked about will be the colour of the card, the noise and the conspiracy denounced by Mourinho."
Real Madrid's players echoed Mourinho's criticism of the game's key decision. According to Xabi Alonso: "The sending-off radically changed the game,"
Emmanuel Adebayor told AS: "It's a man's game and every time you play against Barça, every time you touch them, they throw themselves to the ground and cry like a baby.
"I've played them three times and each time we've ended up with 10 men. Everyone talks about Barcelona's fair play, but I think they're a long way from fair play. Any contact and they go to ground and cry, putting their hands to their face. Barça is a fantastic club, who play fantastic football, but they should cut that out."
Ronaldo agreed. "It's always the same against Barcelona. Is it a coincidence?"
Asked about the performance of Messi – who Marca said produced a goal "straight from the videoconsole" – he replied, "Messi? Against 10 it's easier. I wish I could play against 10 men like he gets to."
But the Portuguese also indicated that he was uncomfortable with his team's tactical approach. "I don't like playing like this but I have to adapt."
Barcelona's Gerard Piqué was predictably unsympathetic to Real Madrid's complaints. "Before going down to 10 men they hadn't played any football. When you play with fire, at the limits of violence, you get burned."
Xavi was more direct. "They have nothing left but to play dirty because that's what their coach drums into them. I wouldn't dream of playing that way and Barça cannot let ourselves play that way. Football was the winner."
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