The Jose Mourinho Alberto Toril polemic rolls on, as the Real Madrid Coach is forced to deny he wanted his Castilla counterpart sacked.
The debate, sparked by the Portuguese tactician's decision to play Michael Essien at left back instead of Castilla kid Nacho, has saw the Press criticise Mourinho and Mourinho criticise Toril, for playing Nacho at centre-back and prioritising results over the preparation of youngsters for first team action.
“I did not order Toril's release,” the former Chelsea boss insisted at his media conference ahead of the Real Zaragoza fixture on Saturday. “We both have autonomy. I do what I want with my team and he with his.
“But I have an opinion that does not change. Jose Rodriguez has not played in the Castilla but others do that are 24 and 25 years of age.”
Rodriguez, aged 17, scored for Real in their 4-1 Copa del Rey win over Alcoyano on Wednesday.
“I have not spoken to him. He trained yesterday and it is natural that he is living through a few days of excitement. But life goes on, now he must work to play more than he does.”
Mourinho, who has clearly done his homework on the subject, again made the point that cantera products haven't played that prominent a role in the club's history, referencing the Merengues past European triumphs.
“To end this I'll discuss three moments in the history of Madrid. In the Champions League Final in Amsterdam, only two homegrown players played. In the final in Paris, there was Raul And Iker Casillas. In the final in Glasgow, there was only Raul as a starter.”
On the fitness front Alvaro Arbeloa is back, but other injury victims Xabi Alonso and Sami Khedira remain unavailable.
“I would like to have Alonso and Khedira of course, but it's no problem. We have a squad for this purpose.”
When questions finally turned to Zaragoza, Mourinho was respectful.
“We have to play well. They are not the same as when they avoided relegation last year, but they're collecting a lot of points. When we play well we win, others have more luck with details and get to win without playing well. The opponents have a Coach who is methodical, tactical and competitive.”
