Not normal to play two big games in same week: Valverde

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2 Gulf Times Wednesday, February 27, 2019 FOOTBALL SPOTLIGHT Not normal to play two big games in same week: Valverde We have to just keep doing what we have been doing AFP Madrid Gareth Bale

The two rivals take a 1-1 draw into the second leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final today, and will then reconvene on Saturday in La Liga, when Madrid hope to cut their deficit at the top from nine

2 2 Gulf Times Wednesday, February 27, 2019 FOOTBALL SPOTLIGHT Not normal to play two big games in same week: Valverde We have to just keep doing what we have been doing AFP Madrid Gareth Bale dominated the build-up to the first of two Clasicos in four days but Santiago Solari and Ernesto Valverde each tried to instil calm ahead of an extraordinary week for Real Madrid and Barcelona. The two rivals take a 1-1 draw into the second leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final today, and will then reconvene on Saturday in La Liga, when Madrid hope to cut their deficit at the top from nine points to six. It is not normal to play two games of this magnitude in the same week, said Barcelona coach Valverde yesterday. But it can happen. Our intention is to separate them and focus on the one in front of us. The one on Saturday is still far away. We have to just keep doing what we have been doing, said Real boss Solari. The first leg was good for us, hopefully it can be again tomorrow. But a Clasico always carries something extra, still more a double-header, that will likely shape the mood of both clubs heading into the season s final straight. Bale s bolshy reaction to scoring against Levante last weekend has been the major topic of discussion, with Solari dodging seven questions on the Welshman during his press conference yesterday. He refused to criticise, or defend, Bale s behaviour but has started him only twice in the eight matches since the 29-year-old returned from a calf injury in January. Look, I understand everyone wants to find a focus and you put the focus where it seems important, Solari said. But our focus is only on what we think is important. It is on the game, to win tomorrow, to be united. Where others focus is up to them. Asked if he had spoken to Bale about the incident against Levante, Solari said: There are some things that stay in the dressing room and that remain private. Bale was left out of the starting line-up at the City of Valencia Stadium and after coming on to convert a second-half penalty, remained stony-faced while brushing off attempts from Barcelona s Spanish coach Ernesto Valverde gestures during the UEFA Champions League round of 16 first leg football match between Lyon (OL) and FC Barcelona at the Groupama Stadium in Decines-Charpieu, central-eastern France, on February 19. (AFP) teammates to congratulate him. He won us the game, said Solari after the 2-1 win. The players can celebrate goals how they want, as long as they score. BALE CONTROVERSY It was the second time this month that Bale s response to a goal has caused controversy. After scoring in a 3-1 win over Atletico Madrid two weeks ago, Bale seemed to make an obscene gesture towards the Atletico fans, which could still see him banned for both upcoming games against Barca. Vinicius Junior has contributed to Bale s problems, his blistering form on the left of Madrid s front three making him all-but indispensable from Solari s line-up. He has arrived with and demonstrated his humility and his talent, Solari said. The rest of the team respects him and has always tried to help him. He brings talent, effort, humility and a desire to learn. It was Vinicius cross that led to Lucas Vazquez s goal in the first leg. He is unpredictable, said Valverde. He brings gives them speed and has a lot of selfconfidence. He is having a great season. Back to his best for Barca, meanwhile, is Lionel Messi, who may be rested for the cup semifinal after scoring a stunning hat-trick, the 50th of his career, against Sevilla on Sunday. Asked if Madrid s players fear Messi this week, Solari said: For those that compete at this level, this word does not exist in football. Barca midfielder Arthur Melo is back in training but more likely to return on Saturday, while Valverde said he will make a late decision on goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen, who was injured for the first leg. We start from the base that if we don t score, we have no chance, Valverde said. We have to score. We have to protect ourselves too, but we will go out to attack. FOCUS Solari tight-lipped as scrutiny stays on Bale ahead of Copa Clasico AFP Madrid Santiago Solari dodged seven questions about Gareth Bale yesterday as the Welshman s celebration snub continues to dominate the build-up to Real Madrid s Copa del Rey Clasico against Barcelona. Madrid face Barca in the second leg of the cup semi-final today, and then again in La Liga four days later, with Bale s bolshy reaction to scoring against Levante last weekend still the major topic of discussion. Solari refused to criticise or defend Bale s behaviour after starting him only twice in the eight matches since the 29-year-old returned from a calf injury in January. Madrid s coach was asked about Bale s discipline, commitment and form but refused to be drawn, insisting his team s focus was only the game. Look, I understand everyone wants to find a focus and you put the focus where it seems important, Solari said. But our focus is only on what we think is important. It is on the game, to win tomorrow, to be united. Where others focus is up to them. Asked if he had spoken to Bale about the incident against Levante, Solari said: There are some things that stay in the dressing room and that remain private. Bale was left out of the starting line-up at the City of Valencia Stadium and after coming on to convert a second-half penalty, he remained stony-faced while brushing off attempts from team-mates to congratulate him. He won us the game, said Solari after the 2-1 win. The players can celebrate goals how they want, as long as they score. It was the second time this month that Bale s response to a goal has caused controversy. After scoring in a 3-1 win over Atletico Madrid two weeks ago, Bale seemed to make an obscene gesture towards the Atletico fans, which could yet see him banned for the Clasico on Wednesday. The Spanish Football Federation is yet to decide but if found guilty, Bale could be suspended for both upcoming games against Barcelona. Vinicius Junior has contributed to Bale s problems, his blistering form on the left of Madrid s front three making him all-but indispensable from Solari s line-up. He has arrived with and demonstrated his humility and his talent, Solari said. The rest of the team respects him and has always tried to help him. He brings talent, effort, humility and a desire to learn. Back to his best for Barca is Lionel Messi, who may be rested for the cup semi-final after scoring a stunning hat-trick, the 50th of his career, against Sevilla on Sunday. Asked if Madrid s players fear Messi this week, Solari said: For those that compete at this level, this word does not exist in football. EU court cancels state aid ruling against four Spanish football clubs An EU court delivered a legal win for Barcelona, Real Madrid and two other top Spanish clubs yesterday, cancelling a 2016 ruling by Brussels that had penalised them over tax breaks. The General Court of the European Union, the bloc s second highest tribunal, said the European Commission had erred in its assessment of the facts when it ruled that the tax arrangements amounted to illegal state aid to the clubs. Yesterday s ruling means the clubs do not have to repay millions of euros to the Spanish authorities, as they had been ordered to do in the 2016 decision. After a two-and-a-half year probe, the commission, which acts as the EU s anti-trust enforcer, ruled that tax arrangements Spain gave four clubs - Real, Barca, Athletic Bilbao and Osasuna - breached the bloc s rules on state aid. But after a challenge by Barcelona, the Luxembourgbased General Court said that the commission had not shown to the requisite legal standard that the measure at issue conferred an advantage on its beneficiaries and threw out the 2016 decision. Under European Union antitrust rules, governments are not allowed to provide state aid to commercial enterprises if it distorts market competition. The commission ruling said the four clubs were treated as non-profit organisations, which pay a lower tax rate than other professional clubs registered as limited liability companies. COMMENT Mourinho wants his next club to have empathy AFP London Jose Mourinho wants his next club to be one where internal empathy exists and not internal conflict he told the Daily Telegraph on Tuesday. The 56-year-old Portuguese sacked by Manchester United on December 18 after a series of bust-ups with senior players and poor results said the club where he had felt this the most was Serie A side Inter Milan. He guided them to a Champions League, two league titles and an Italian Cup in two seasons there from Mourinho said money is not the priority admitting since he left United he had turned down a lucrative offer from an unnamed club because I want high-level football and ambitions at the highest level. However, he says that comes second on his list of ingredients for taking a job. I don t want an internal conflict, said Mourinho, who has down the years earned a reputation for confronting senior players at clubs he has managed. I want internal empathy. And then your conflict is on Sunday on the pitch when you play against somebody who wants to steal your three points. That s the moment of the conflict. Mourinho, who enjoyed a good first season with United landing the Europa League and League Cup before things turned sour winning nothing last year, says structural empathy is obligatory for him. I don t know if it is a bad translation from Portuguese to English but focus on these two words, structure and empathy, said Mourinho. I want to work with structural empathy. A club is a structure, a complex structure where the manager is an important part of that structure but he is not the structure. I want to work with people that I love. People I want to work with, that I am happy to work with, with whom I share the same ideas. It was what I had at Inter. There are clubs like this. Normally, that is a very important part of a successful club. Mourinho, who says he does not want to work where there is permanent contradiction (conflict), said he is a natural winner but concedes going 18 months without a trophy has taught him things. People used to say that you learn more with defeat, he said. Maybe there is some truth in it. I feel my natural habitat is winning. This is the first time when I didn t win any trophy for 18 months. Some guys don t win any trophies for 18 years. I didn t win any trophy for 18 months. Mourinho, who stunned many when he paid a warm tribute to long-time bitter rival Arsene Wenger at an awards ceremony last week, said aside from some football punditry he has spent the time since being sacked by United to prepare for his next job. Now I have time for thinking, reflection, trying to understand everything and trying to be more ready for the next one that is coming, said Mourinho. I know it is coming. It hasn t come yet because what has come along, I didn t want. INDONESIA WIN AFF U-22 CUP Indonesian midfielder Sani Riski Fauzi (left) and forward Marinus Wanewar (right) kiss the championship trophy as their team celebrate after winning the AFF U-22 Cup 2019 finals against Thailand at the National Stadium in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, yesterday. (AFP)

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