Real Madrid Legend Fires Warning To Vinicius Jr. And Ancelotti
The scorer of the winning goal against Juventus for Los Blancos, in the 1997/1998 Champions League final, has been vocal on the pair before on Spanish airwaves, and again took to the microphone ahead of Madrid's UCL quarterfinal first leg tie with Real Madrid.
Mijatovic first said that 'the match against Arsenal worries me for a simple reason. Arsenal is a lighter version of the Manchester City in their best times, but it is a team that plays well and is uncomfortable [to play against]
The former striker doesn't see Ancelotti as being 'calm' at the moment, 'because if he were, we wouldn't talk about his possible departure or continuity having a year on his contract'.
'At Real Madrid no coach, regardless of the results he has achieved, can ever be calm. He can only be when he is presented and when he wins a title,' Mijatovic added.
'Madrid's pressure keeps the coaches on their toes. You can never relax. And that's not bad. [President] Florentino Perez does very well to have coaches under this pressure. And also the players.'
As for Ballon d'Or runner up Vinicius, who was whistled in the Bernabeu during last Saturday's 2-1 defeat to Valencia, Mijatovic said that there are Los Blancos supporters 'who don't want Vinicius to leave are worried and a little angry'.
'He is a player who has triumphed and who has stood out in important games. But he also has a character with unexpected reactions that has made the fans a little angry.'
'Vinicius is a proud player, but Real Madrid always gives much more to the players than they give to the club. Vinicius has to know that Madrid is above all the players and he has to calm down a little. The Bernabeu has whistled all of humanity, including me,' Mijatovic concluded.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
6 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Alonso's Real Madrid start La Liga with fresh energy
Real Madrid, featuring several new signings, approach the new season with fresh hope under recently-appointed coach Xabi Alonso, looking to turn the page on a disappointing end to the Carlo Ancelotti era with "ambitious" football. Former Liverpool and Los Blancos midfielder Alonso saw at the Club World Cup in the United States this summer there is plenty of work to do, as Paris Saint-Germain thrashed Madrid 4-0 in the semi-final. "Things are going to be different... we are starting from scratch," said Alonso, although some of his findings from the tournament will undoubtedly influence his approach. Madrid fans also got their first glimpse of the Basque tactician's plans, and also of England defender Trent Alexander-Arnold. Alonso showed tactical flexibility, utilising both a four-man and three-man defence, whereas his predecessor Ancelotti tended to stick with four at the back and was criticised for not being adaptive enough in games. By contrast Alonso was keen to adjust things during matches if he could, including the positioning of his players, and keen to impress on his squad they must all help defensively and with pressing. "We need and want everyone to defend -- the 11 players on the pitch have to be involved defensively," said Alonso during the tournament, asked specifically about star forwards Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappe. "They have to know how we want to press, and without that, things will be very complicated," continued Alonso. "Vini, Jude (Bellingham), Fede (Valverde), Kylian, those up front, the defence has to push forward too." Alonso is looking to obtain the balance that Ancelotti failed to achieve last season following Mbappe's arrival from PSG. Although the French superstar struck 43 goals under Ancelotti it was not enough to inspire a Madrid side that finished the season without a major trophy, while Barcelona reclaimed La Liga as part of a domestic treble. Mbappe's illness with a stomach bug kept him out of Madrid's group matches at the Club World Cup, but on his first start was in the destruction by PSG. "We have to be self-critical, but it will also serve us as a guide for where we need to improve," said Alonso. If Alonso can find the formula for Mbappe and Vinicius to work together without sacrificing too much out of possession remains to be seen, while winger Rodrygo Goes does not appear to be part of the coach's plans, playing a bit-part role in the States. - Goodbyes and new faces - Madrid go into the season without Luka Modric in the squad for the first time in over a decade, with the Croatian's experience and quality a big miss for a side lacking some guile in midfield. Los Blancos' hope is for Turkish playmaker Arda Guler to be able to thrive there and become a player who can control the tempo of a game. "The coach is trying to make us have more control of the game, and that's better for me," said Guler. The 20-year-old should get plenty of chances to play at the start of the season with Jude Bellingham sidelined until around mid-October after shoulder surgery to solve a long-running issue. By then new arrival and fellow England international Alexander-Arnold may have established himself in the side. The full-back, who joined from Liverpool before the end of his contract so he could play at the Club World Cup, adds further attacking quality to a Madrid squad brimming with it. Madrid hope Dean Huijsen could help solve some issues at the back, while Alvaro Carreras and Franco Mastantuono also join, with Los Blancos spending over 170 million euros ($200 million) this summer. Dani Carvajal's return from a long-term knee injury is another piece of good news for a Madrid side who need it after their 2024-25 campaign was more noteworthy for the club's attacks on referees than for success on the field. Alonso, who hopes to play an "ambitious" game with "emotion and energy", wants the world to be talking about Real Madrid's football once again. rbs/mw
New York Times
38 minutes ago
- New York Times
How Chelsea play: Building from the goalkeeper, a box-shaped midfield and lots of short corners
Many outside the club might only admit it grudgingly, but Chelsea's extraordinarily well-funded project under Clearlake Capital and Todd Boehly has finally achieved football legitimacy. That much was clear in May, when Chelsea secured a return to the Champions League with a fourth-place finish in the Premier League before lifting the UEFA Conference League. Advertisement 'For me, the biggest achievement this season is that exactly one year ago, no one was talking about Chelsea for football (reasons), but talking about the big squad, big money,' head coach Enzo Maresca said in a press conference before the FIFA Club World Cup final. 'Now, no one is talking about this, but they are talking about the way we play, and the way we win games. This is personally the biggest achievement of this season.' The fact that Maresca's young team then comprehensively beat newly-crowned Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain at MetLife Stadium to win the tournament only served to underline his point. Chelsea are a serious side again, but how exactly do they play? Let's talk about it. Maresca's appointment in the summer of 2024 was a clear signal of the football direction the club wanted to take: a shift towards the Pep Guardiola school of possession-focused, positional play, implemented by a man who, like Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, served as Guardiola's assistant at Manchester City. Equally as clear was Maresca's specific interpretation of the Guardiola style: a 4-2-3-1 system that shifts to become more of a 3-4-3 in possession, with the 'four' arranged in a box shape consisting of two defensive midfielders — one of which is typically an inverted full-back — and two attacking midfielders operating in the half-spaces, or 'pockets'. Maresca's box midfield can be seen below, during last season's home meeting with Arsenal… This structure, which grants a measure of balance by enabling the team to attack with five players while the other five remain behind the ball to protect against counter-attacks, tends to be Chelsea's default alignment. But throughout last season, Maresca demonstrated that he is flexible when it comes to how he gets to it. Sometimes it was left-back Marc Cucurella inverting into the base of midfield, sometimes it was right-back Malo Gusto moving in from the right. Sometimes one or the other would instead push up into one of the attacking midfield roles, with two natural defensive midfielders behind them. Advertisement Cucurella is also integral to Maresca's preferred tactical plan B: a more attacking alignment in which the inverted full-back pushes all the way up into the final third to enable Chelsea to attack with six players rather than five, keeping just one defensive midfielder to screen the back three. This tactical shift led to Cucurella scoring several crucial goals for Chelsea last season, including a late winner against Manchester United at Stamford Bridge in May… Gusto is a more awkward fit inverting into midfield, and Maresca has not returned to it since the Frenchman was targeted by Real Betis in the UEFA Conference League final. He is, however, a real overlapping threat, and was utilised in that manner to great effect against PSG in the Club World Cup final, creating the opening goal with one surge upfield. Chelsea's campaign in the United States was the stage for Maresca to get significantly more creative tactically. His experimental 4-2-2-2 shape against Flamengo in the group stage failed, but moving to a 4-3-3 enabled his team to press Fluminense much more effectively in the semi-final and in the final against PSG he started talisman Cole Palmer on the right and Reece James in midfield, enabling his club captain to drop into right-back when Gusto ran forward. Maresca's team were also highly aggressive out of possession against the European champions, pressing man-to-man. Levi Colwill and Trevoh Chalobah both pushed well into the PSG half to track Ousmane Dembele whenever he drifted deep, with Moises Caicedo filling the gap in the defensive line behind them. On other occasions, Chelsea are happy to drop off a little into a mid-block and use their attackers to screen opposition passing angles through their lines, trusting their defenders and goalkeeper to sweep up any high balls over the top. When forced to defend deep, they often try to play offside on the edge of their own penalty area — a strategy practised by Maresca's other coaching mentor, Manuel Pellegrini. This was exploited by several opponents last season, but it also routinely catches attackers offside. Advertisement On the ball, Maresca's preference is for his side to build with short passes from his goalkeeper, often with the aim of baiting opponents into a press that creates space higher up the pitch. Chelsea are very capable of moving the ball forward quickly in such situations, with plenty of speed in their attacking line and an elite transition passer in Palmer to release them. But against PSG, goalkeeper Robert Sanchez was instructed to kick longer, bypassing PSG's attempted press and often isolating Gusto against Nuno Mendes. It proved to be inspired. Chelsea's other tactical evolution at the Club World Cup was a shift towards short corners. Last season, Chelsea's 4.1 goals per 100 set pieces ranked 10th in the Premier League, while their 4.6 goals conceded per 100 set pieces was the sixth-worst in the division. Maresca and set-piece coach Bernardo Cueva do not have the biggest or most aerially talented squad to work with, so passing short at attacking corners makes sense. The structure is illustrated below, with one player positioned on the byline and another level with the penalty area to form a triangle that entices opponents out to defend. Chelsea manoeuvred this situation into an own goal from Palmeiras defender Agustin Giay in the Club World Cup quarter-final, and it has the added benefit of limiting the risk of giving up defensive transition. All in all, Chelsea took 26 of their 43 attacking corners at the tournament short. This summer's recruitment should make Chelsea even more versatile. Up front, Liam Delap and Joao Pedro both made an immediate positive impact at the Club World Cup and each offers a different aspect of what Nicolas Jackson provided to this team last season, while also providing a more clinical touch in the final third… On the left flank, Maresca can pick from Jamie Gittens or Pedro Neto, depending on which angles of attack he wants to take. On the right, Brazilian prodigy Estevao can provide an X factor and lessen the creative burden that weighed heavily on Palmer at times last season. Chelsea have far better and more varied tools to pick apart opposition low blocks. Advertisement Behind the front line, the rounded skill set of returning loanee Andrey Santos should make Chelsea's midfield more fluid and flexible. Caicedo and Cucurella, two of Maresca's most-picked players in 2024-25, finally have specialist understudies in the forms of Dario Essugo and Jorrel Hato, the latter of whom can also cover for the injured Colwill at centre-back. Maresca fielded 27 players at the Club World Cup, more than any other manager in the competition. He has more options than ever, and Chelsea's identity is more sophisticated as a result. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle
Business Upturn
2 hours ago
- Business Upturn
UEFA Super Cup: PSG make a comeback victory against Spurs to lift their 5th trophy in 2025
PSG have won the UEFA Super Cup 2025 after they defeat Spurs in the last night's game. By Ravi Kumar Jha Published on August 14, 2025, 08:31 IST PSG have won the UEFA Super Cup 2025 after they defeat Spurs in the last night's game. Tottenham Hotspur had a great chance to win another trophy this year as they were 2-0 up in the first half. Goals from Van de Ven and Cristian Romero gave Spurs the lead in the game. Under new manager Thomas Frank, Tottenham looked a bit furious and different team. Champions League winner PSG however, didn't hold back and scored back to back goals in the last minutes to take the game to extra time and penalties. Enrique's side won 4-3 in penalties to lift their 5th trophy of their legendary year 2025. Paris Saint-Germain lifted the UEFA Super Cup 2025 in thrilling fashion last night, edging Tottenham Hotspur 4-3 on penalties after a dramatic 2-2 draw. Spurs looked set for another piece of silverware this year, racing to a 2-0 lead in the first half through goals from Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero. Under new manager Thomas Frank, the North London side showcased an aggressive, high-energy style that rattled the Champions League winners early on. However, PSG — chasing their fifth trophy in a historic 2025 campaign — refused to bow out quietly. Luis Enrique's men mounted a late surge, striking twice in the closing stages to force extra time. With neither side able to break the deadlock, the contest went to penalties, where PSG held their nerve to seal a 4-3 victory. The win crowns a legendary year for PSG, adding the Super Cup to their bulging 2025 trophy cabinet and underlining their dominance in European football. Ahmedabad Plane Crash Ravi kumar jha is an undergraduate student in Bachelor of Arts in Multimedia and Mass Communication. A media enthusiast who has a strong hold on communication and he also has a genuine interest in sports. Ravi is currently working as a journalist at
