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By ANTONY KASTRINAKIS

IF Manchester United are pitted against Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid in today’s Champions League draw — FEAR NOT.

The former Chelsea boss is Not So Special these days at the Bernabeu.

Madrid are engulfed in their worst crisis in recent years and have lost six matches already in this campaign — one more than the whole of last season.

Mourinho’s famed ability to galvanise a dressing room seems to have fizzled out.

The lure of a glitzy Champions League tie will work in Mourinho’s favour, as will the pride of stars like Cristiano Ronaldo, but the magic is gone.

In the last week alone:

— There are claims that several stars confronted Mourinho last Thursday over his tactics and “lack of tactical preparation”.

— Mourinho sparked outrage when he and his staff rounded on a journalist, trying to get him to reveal the source of a story.

— In that confrontation the Real boss all but admitted that at least three of his players are stabbing him in the back.

It may seem amazing how things have unravelled so quickly — they are 13 points behind Barca following their worst start in five years — after last season when Madrid won the League with record points and goals.

The cracks in the relationship between Mourinho and his players had already appeared last season. While the the team were performing, though, everything kept ticking along.

But now constant leaks of bust-ups between Mourinho and his stars have left the Special One almost isolated.

The latest sensation was that “several” players confronted him over his tactics last Thursday following the fifth-round first-leg Spanish Cup loss at Celta Vigo.

The report in highly-respected newspaper El Pais stated several players told Mourinho that for months the team had “tactical difficulties that he as manager had not been able to resolve.”

They allegedly told him that his constant public sniping at players for “lacking the right attitude” could give the impression they were not professional, when in fact the roots of the crisis were more complex.

Players also claimed average sides were able to ‘park the bus’ and expose the Spanish giants’ weakness in coming up with ways to break them down.

They then told Mourinho it was his responsibility to find solutions to those problems, rather than blame his players.

That same day Radio Marca reported some Real stars believed one of Mourinho’s coaches was a dressing-room spy.

Then last Saturday Mourinho angrily had it out with Marca reporter Anton Meana over his story.

Meana said: “Mourinho told me ‘In the world of football I and my people are top and in the world of journalism you are a s***.

“Mourinho said ‘To me they said you are a son of a wh*** and a very bad person, but instead of believing it, I think differently. You are anti-Madrid, anti-Mourinho and your questions always have a negative intention’.”

Mourinho then claimed trouble was being caused by players who did not get along with his long-time goalkeeping coach Silvino Louro.

Meana continued: “He asked me to reveal my source but I refused. Mourinho said ‘There are 21 players in the dressing room whose relationship with Silvino Louro is brilliant and as happens everywhere there are three black sheep that f*** the group.’”

Madrid refused to comment but crucially did not deny any of Meana’s claims. Mourinho said “three black sheep” but top sources claim the number could be up to TEN.

And senior Real Madrid stars are seething with anger because Mourinho made that claim to a journalist knowing it would come out.

Speculation around who the players are is rife, with Iker Casillas, Sergio Ramos, Kaka, Karim Benzema and Angel Di Maria all mentioned.

High-profile stars are biting their tongues for now as they feel Mourinho’s end-game is to smoke them out and force them to criticise him in public.

It is a mess. There are, of course, two months until the Champions League re-starts and a lot can change. But it seems the damage is irreversible.

If United get Madrid this morning in the draw, Alex Ferguson will be smiling broadly. And not just because his old mate will bring a fine bottle of Portuguese red when Madrid visit.

 

 

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