Global FootballUpdated November 8

Accounts contrast Alonso and Mourinho’s overnight arrangements

Al Jazeera’s account sets two overnight decisions against each other. During a congested run of games, Xabi Alonso required players to stay at Real Madrid’s training center before a match against Athletic Bilbao; some reportedly saw it as an attempt to impose authority amid existing tensions. In a later fixture crunch, the team returned from Greece to Madrid at 3 a.m. Thursday. Mourinho kept them at the training complex to avoid extra travel and give them more rest before morning training and a Valencia match. The report says players agreed to the arrangement and received it positively; Mourinho said they wanted an extra hour or two of sleep. The contrast is in how the stay was arranged, not just where the team slept.

1 publisher1 report

Coverage started November 8