http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/st...o-real?cc=4716
Valdano confident Mourinho will deliver
Real Madrid general manager Jorge Valdano insists he has been happy 2 sit back & let Jose Mourinho take sole charge of team affairs @ the Bernabeu recently & predicted the former Inter Milan boss will provide the club with "many glorious afternoons''.
Valdano & Mourinho have endured a seemingly fractious relationship since the Portuguese arrived @ Real last summer, with hostilities betw the 2 @ times barely concealed.
Mourinho demands more control than most coaches in Spain & tat has necessitated Valdano taking a step back. But the former Argentina international denied the situation had made his life difficult.
"I hv always felt comfortable @ Real Madrid,'' he told the club's official website. "My role is more of an institutional 1 now compared 2 b4 & my job entails matters tat r not only related 2 sports.
"I said I would distance myself fr the team following the Copa del Rey match against Sevilla & I hv done just tat.
"Mourinho is the leader of a team tat continues improving fr a football standpoint & I m sure it will bring us many glorious afternoons. He feels protected by the club & feels more comfortable every day, as he himself recently stated.
"Tat goal has been accomplished & tat is wat it is all abt, being tat he is an important person within the club. The team is more competitive each day.''
Valdano also stated his relationship with president Florentino Perez remains as strong as ever.
"I hv a close relationship with Florentino Perez,'' he said. "I hv a lot of faith in him & I feel comfortable & secure. He has not changed as a person.
"He continues thinking big & continues loving tis club. He is very demanding & he lays out the strategy. He knows exactly wat Real Madrid members 1 & time has proven him right.''