Liga - Zidane comes out fighting
Zinedine Zidane has jumped to the defence of Pepe and Jose Mourinho, who have both been subject to intense criticism after Real Madrid's Copa del Rey defeat to Barcelona.
Mourinho's "negative" tactics in the 2-1 quarter-final first leg home loss and Pepe's stamp on Lionel Messi's hand have seen the normally supportive Madrid-based press turning on the Portuguese pair since Wednesday's game.
"I think all the criticisms aimed at Madrid, their coach and the players are very unfair," the former Real Madrid and France midfielder told sports daily AS on Friday.
"Pepe is a player you almost never hear a squeak from off the pitch. He's a charming lad, very polite. But when he goes on the pitch, he is obsessed with winning and this anxiety to win sees him make mistakes.
"Obviously he has apologised for what he has done, but Pepe is a player who gives his all on the field of play, and sometimes he goes to the limit," added Zidane, who was brought in to work with Mourinho as first team director of football last July.
Madrid sports dailies AS and Marca both continued their attacks on Pepe and Mourinho on Friday.
Marca questioned the club's decision to support Pepe by recording a message through their television channel on Thursday, in which he said standing on Messi's hand had been unintentional.
"Pepe has distorted reality and made Real Madrid complicit in an action which has shamed the club's fans," a Marca opinion piece said, when he "should have faced the facts and asked for forgiveness".
A Barca vice-president Carles Vilarrubi dismissed Pepe's comments.
"Nobody believes him," said Vilarrubi, who went on to draw parallels with the incident when Mourinho jabbed a finger in the eye of Barca assistant coach Tito Vilanova at the end of the Spanish Super Cup back in August.
"The problem is that people feel protected," he told Spanish radio. "After the finger-in-the-eye incident the club issued a justification for it (when Real said Mourinho had been provoked). This generates a culture where Pepe felt free to act and to do what he did.
"The whole world has seen it. Barca don't need to make official complaints."
Marca's leading story on Friday, titled "The seven sins of Mourinho", knocked the former Chelsea and Inter Milan coach's tactics, choice of personnel, substitutions and post-match analysis of the Cup game.
Zidane said of the attacks on Mourinho: "How can they say we need a change of coach? Are they mad or what? Look at the statistics since he has been here, they are incredible.
"To think that some doubt his commitment to Madrid and that he will stay only two years and then go. Sincerely, I would prefer that he stayed only two or three years and did something great, to someone else who stayed ten and did nothing."
Leaders Real Madrid host Athletic Bilbao in La Liga on Sunday and will then seek to overturn their Copa del Rey deficit in the second leg at Barcelona next Wednesday.
Comment 58 - 77 of 77
its normal for silly Zidane to support pepe, lets go back to Zidane history when he headbut Matterazzi during the worldcup..............action speaks louder than voices
i excuse mr zidan what he says about pepe or jose
i know it was INTENTIONAL . but we cant help it .
It has happened now .
So move on .
morinho is a great coach.. no doubt.. .. but he and pepe have shamed madrid over the years..
sheila.. your comments just shows how much knowledge you have of football .. there are better players than messi?? madrid to march on in copa cup ??? you must have been living in the jungle or caves for the past 5 years
Comment @71 Barca win countless of title. What else you expect from Barca? Or you actually know nothing about football?They also outplayed all their opponent with their trademark passing game.
@comment 67..on what basis are you saying that barca is the best side in history? achievements??
@samia..yes pepe appologized..but he said it wasn't intential..do u believe this?
don't u have eyes?? now he's lying also..this is worst.
How dare u guys insult Zidan, he was right coz what happend in the pich stays in the pich.
Darko Skopje, Watch last seasons champions league semi finals . When alves play acted its okay? When mascherano playacted against madrid in the copa del rey final , its okay? But if pepe did , ITS NOT OKAY? WHY?
Zidane is a legend, and thats coming from a hardcore Cule, however I do feel its better if he keeps out of controversial situations like Wednesday night, when Real's history was further tarnished by thuggery, cheating and violence triggered by their frustrations of not being able to beat the best club side in history, considering the current environment where players are fitter, latest technology for fitness and training, wealth and spending power of Barcelona's direct direct opponents, as well as the list of world stars Real have.
For gods sake Jose is not responsible for what the players do on the pitch once the game has started so get off his back please he is a brilliant manager and has the C.V. to prove it. Pepe was wrong in what he did and should be punished but the Barcelona players are no better there were six of them surrounding the referee trying to harass him and I wish he had booked them all that might have taught them a lesson because they do it in every game. I also think Messi is over-rated and there are better players in the Barca squad than him. That's my rant over and I hope by next Wednesday night Barca will be out and Real Madrid will march on in the Copy-del-Rey.
I think it's mourinho fault dat he lost in el-classico.because he refuse to use kaka in the match.because he needed in the but i dont why.this to mourinho.kaka is the answer.
shame on Zidan,jose and those who protecting pepe!real is suffering because of that...as a barca fan I have to say real is greater than them and you real fan must react!
There's too much fuse about Mourinho and Pepe. He has apologised that ends it. Please Mourinho the only way to shut the mouth of those who are ranting is to win the league. Which you are about doing. And every other things will be history. You have won the Copa de rey. Add the league to it.
Samia, all the talk of Barca players play-acting went up in smokes when your guy Pepe fell on ground as if he was struck by lightning, when in reality he was only touched by Fabregas, who is twice as small as Pepe. So don't you talk about play acting.
they need a change of coach?!!!!!!!!!!!! im up for it!!!!
It's a shame to see Zidane excuse on-pitch behaviour by talking about off-pitch behaviour. What a footballer does on the pitch matters on the pitch. The only acceptable revenge is to play better than your opponent and win. We all saw Pepe look down, stutter-step, shorten his stride and stomp on Messi's hand intentionally. It was only "unintentional" in the sense that he didn't intend to get caught, admit anything or take his punishment like a man.
The bigger question remains how much we should take from this repeated violence as an indication of the explicit aims of the trainer, Mou. Seeing that Carvalho also acted with similar, repeated aggressiveness (but with greater care not to get so easily observed doing it), we can see a pattern emerging. The world press sees a pattern. If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it's a duck. This violence is not only aimed at Barca. It comes out in times of utmost pressure and frustration. If the Madrid trainer won't draw a line under it, then the authorities must do so. A great club's reputation is taking a beating. (Pun intended)
let everyone stamp on his face first
Pls let 4get 4 what happen jst wait 2 d secound leg
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