Jose Mourinho again stole the headlines after his team’s Super Cup victory by refusing to attend the post-game news conference, sending his assistant Aitor Karanka in his place.
Karanka has been Mouinho’s representative in the press before,
usually when Mourinho boycots pressers to avoid the negative reaction
after a loss, but this time there was no clear explanation for his
absence.
Perhaps the manager was avoiding criticism that his team bunkered down
and defended despite having a two-goal lead and a man advantage on the
fied. Perhaps “the only one” thought a title like the Supercopa, which
he has been downplaying the last two weeks, was not worthy of his
appearance.
Karanka was willing to praise the team and especially the first half, in which the dominated the game.
“The team had a great first half and demonstrated many things. We hope we will continue like that,” said Karanka.
The assistant coach also addressed the difference Pepe made in the game after missing the first leg with a concussion.
“Pepe is a player that gives a lot inside and outside of the field,” he added.
For the criticisms regarding Madrid’s performance, especially in the second half, Mourinho’s number one man saw no such thing.
“The end result was much less than it should have been. The game was a ‘dance’ by Madrid.”
For more sports news, visit Terra.com.
