Jose Mourinho: Real Madrid Playing Attractive Attacking Football Is My Obsession

Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho admits that he will have to change his tactical philosophy according to his new environment in Spanish football in order to attain absolute success at the Bernabeu.

The Portuguese has often been accused of employing defensive and negative tactics with his former teams and employed a 4-3-3- formation at Chelsea which not straying too far from that during his days in charge of Inter Milan. Despite some of the most exciting wins seen in Europe with his previous clubs against the likes of Barcelona, Mourinho’s playing philosophy is more often associated with the lack of entertainment and all that is ugly about football.

However, the two-time Champions League winning coach is adamant that he will adapt to the demands of Madrid fans that the team has to win and play good football at the same time.

“The cultural aspect is very important,” Mourinho said.

“It’s impossible for a coach to go to a country and say ‘This is my system, my playing philosophy’.

“Will I be able to do at Madrid the same thing I did at Inter in terms of playing style? Impossible. The cultural aspect is very important.

“Chelsea are champions of England, but if they played in the Primera Division they wouldn’t win. Just as Barca wouldn’t win the Premier League.

“The construction of your team must be carried out in accordance with the culture (of that place). I will respect the cultural aspect at Madrid.”

And that would mean ensuring his Madrid team employ attacking and entertaining football, which Mourinho claims to be his obsession now that he is in charge at the Bernabeu.

“I have an obsession to play attacking and attractive football at Madrid,” Mourinho added.

Mourinho also spoke of his dedication and commitment to the club and ensuring its success by insisting that he is now the biggest fan of Real.

“There is no Madrid fan that loves the club more than me,” he said.

Arsenal Prepare £18m Bid For Fiorentina Midfielder Riccardo Montolivo

Arsenal have been linked with a move for Fiorentino midfielder Riccardo Montolivo and are said to be preparing a £18 million bid for the Italian midfielder.

The Italian international could be subject to an offer from the Gunners going into the last week of the transfer window, according to the Daily Star, and the 25-year-old may not be the last of a string of new arrivals at the Emirates Stadium as manager Arsene Wenger hopes to make a flurry of new signings in a bid to bolster his side’s Premier League title challenge.

Montolivo came to prominence as part of a Fiorentina side that impressed in Europe during last season’s Champions League campaign and furthered his reputation in the Italian World Cup finals squad despite a disappointing showing by the team overall in South Africa.

Serie A champions Inter Milan and Juventus have also both been linked with the midfielder but the Viola are not keen to part with one of their prized assets, especially to a rival in the same league.

While Wenger ponders over whether to add the qualities of Montolivo to his squad – not short of midfield talent itself – the Frenchman hinted that the club were not yet done with their summer transfer dealings after revealing that there would be at least one more player to arrive at the Emirates before the close of the transfer window at the end of August.

Manchester United Accused By Ajax Of Tapping Up Teenager Gyliano Van Velzen

Dutch giants Ajax Amsterdam are ready to lodge an official complaint with FIFA over the behaviour of Manchester United over the signing of Dutch midfielder Gyliano van Velzen. The Red Devils have been accused of tapping up the teenager and have received a letter from Ajax asking for an explanation on the matter.

Van Velzen was offered by Ajax to be part of their youth set-up but shocked the Dutch club when he informed them that he would be joining the Premier League club instead.

According to Ajax, the 16-year-old had told them that he had turned a United offer down back in March but the situation was turned around on its head just a few weeks ago. The promising midfielder told Ajax that his parents were now moving to England to begin a new chapter in their lives and that they had been given a house in Manchester. Van Velzen then followed them and landed up in United last week.

Ajax are now demanding compensation from the Old Trafford outfit and have expressed their surprise and disappointment over the incident. They are now awaiting response from United chief executive David Gill and if deemed unsatisfactory, they will consider legal action against the Premier League giants through FIFA.

United claim they have broken no regulations and that the young midfielder never had a contract with the Dutch outfit, thus leaving him on the open market and free to sign a contract with any club.

The Premier League giants have been involved in previous similar incidents, most recently when Le Havre and Fiorentina both accused the Red Devils of having tapped up their youth players. Le Havre reported United for enticing Paul Pogba to Old Trafford while the Viola accused the English club of having “stolen” defender Michele Fornasier. United were cleared by FIFA of any wrongdoing on both occasions.

Real Madrid Set To Make £20m Offer For Manchester City Striker Emmanuel Adebayor

Real Madrid are set to make a shock swoop for Manchester City striker Emmanuel Adebayor in a deal worth a reported £20 million. The Bernabeu giants are understood to have singled out the Togo striker as a suitable replacement for Didier Drogba whom they failed to lure away from Stamford Bridge with Chelsea insisting their prized asset is not for sale.

Real boss Jose Mourinho has surprisingly deemed Adebayor – a controversial character who has had several brushes with discipline and possesses a questionable attitude – as a player who would improve the quality of the squad at his disposal. The Portuguese is known to prefer reuniting with Drogba whom he signed for Chelsea in 2004 in a deal worth £24 million but the Blues have slammed the door shut on that possibility despite the Ivorian Coast captain privately admitting his willingness to move to the Bernabeu.

While Adebayor has insisted that despite the increasing competition for places at Eastlands he is willing to stay and fight for his place – no doubt in part due to the large wage packet he receives from City – the striker has also made a point on several occasions that he would like clubs like Juventus to come for him if they would like to.

A less than convincing debut season with City last season also led to Adebayor spending more time on the bench as manager Roberto Mancini has never regarded the striker good enough to be his first choice. The former Arsenal star also began the season as a substitute against Tottenham Hotspur in the club’s season opener.

Real are putting together a £20 million package to hopefully convince City to release Adebayor and with Mancini having to decide on his final 25-man Premier League squad soon, the Eastlands club may be willing to listen to any offers.

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson would also be hoping for Real to land their transfer target, as it could possibly mean the availability of French striker Karim Benzema, of whom Ferguson is a keen admirer of.

United have yet to make a marquee signings this summer and with increasing fan pressure, the Red Devils may have to act in case Benzema is available for a switch as Mourinho continues to appear less than convinced by the striker’s quality in fitting into his plans.

Everton plot Crouch swap for Pienaar

Everton boss David Moyes is heading the chase for Peter Crouch - and will let Tottenham have contract rebel Steven Pienaar in exchange.

Moyes has been chasing England target man Crouch for a month after finding out who could be available as Harry Redknapp wheels and deals to get the men he wants.

Now the clubs are in advance talks about brokering a move that would see South African midfielder Pienaar go to Spurs - with the size of fees being discussed and decided.

Redknapp likes Pienaar and his chief scout Ian Bloomfield watched him at the weekend. He has gone to the top of his wish list because West Ham will not part with Scott Parker and Stephen Ireland chose Aston Villa ahead of them.

Read more: http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/news/Tottenham-transfer-news-Everton-plot-Peter-Crouch-swap-for-Steven-Pienaar-article562351.html#ixzz0xVRPBl4f
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Manchester United Move Closer To Raul Meireles Deal After Exclusion From Porto Europa League Squad

Manchester United could be close to their first major summer signing after Portuguese midfielder Raul Meireles was left out of FC Porto’s Europa League squad for their play-off against Genk on Thursday. The midfielder has been rumoured to be on United boss Sir Alex Ferguson’s watch list for the past weeks and may now be targeted for a switch to Old Trafford before the close of the transfer window after the Red Devils missed out on Germany star Mesut Ozil.

Meireles has not been reported to be injured or in any condition that would rule him out of the game and if he were to play in the Europa League, the Portugal World Cup star will be ineligible to play for any other club in the same competition as well as the Champions League – which United will contest.

Ferguson needs experienced backup in his midfield and is a firm admirer of the established Portuguese international, who could also be a long term replacement not only for United veterans Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs – who are both nearing the end of their careers – but also for perpetual injury victim Owen Hargreaves. The latter has hardly seen action for the Red Devils since joining the club in 2007 from Bayern Munich.

Ferguson also fuelled speculation that Meireles could be his next transfer target – and first major signing of the summer – after refusing to draw a line under further new additions to his squad before the end of the transfer window despite having signed young stars Chris Smalling, Javier Hernandez and Bebe.

UEFA Club Football Awards nominees named

UEFA has announced the nominees for the UEFA Club Football Awards of 2010 with a total of 12 players shortlisted both for the positional awards and for the overall prize of UEFA Club Footballer of the Year.

The UEFA Club Football Awards will be presented during the UEFA Champions League group stage draw in Monaco on Thursday 26 August, with three players apiece in contention for the best goalkeeper, best defender, best midfielder and best attacker awards.

The nominations are decided by the coaches of the 16 teams that reached the knockout stage of the 2009/10 UEFA Champions League. Each coach has the opportunity of voting for the individual positional prizes as well as to name their choice for UEFA Club Footballer of the Year 2010.

One of the following 12 players in line for a positional award will be presented with the main item of silverware during the awards ceremony at the Grimaldi Forum, which begins at 17.45CET next Thursday.

• UEFA Club Goalkeeper of the Year
Júlio César (FC Internazionale Milano)
Hugo Lloris (Olympique Lyonnais)
Víctor Valdés (FC Barcelona)

• UEFA Club Defender of the Year
Lúcio (FC Internazionale Milano)
Maicon (FC Internazionale Milano)
Gerard Piqué (FC Barcelona)

• UEFA Club Midfielder of the Year
Xavi Hernández (FC Barcelona)
Arjen Robben (FC Bayern München)
Wesley Sneijder (FC Internazionale Milano)

• UEFA Club Attacker of the Year
Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona)
Diego Milito (FC Internazionale Milano)
Wayne Rooney (Manchester United FC)