Mourinho shrugs off Real jeers

MADRID (AFP) –

Real Madrid’s Portuguese coach Jose Mourinho looks on during the Spanish league football match Real Madrid vs Real Sociedad at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid on January 6, 2013. Mourinho brushed off the boos of an angry Bernabeu crowd on Sunday as fans turned on the Portuguese coach for benching goalkeeper Iker Casillas.

Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho brushed off the boos of an angry Bernabeu crowd on Sunday as fans turned on the Portuguese coach for benching goalkeeper Iker Casillas.

Real beat Real Sociedad 4-3 but the pressure remained on Mourinho after Barcelona‘s 4-0 win over Espanyol kept the defending champions 16 points off the pace in La Liga.

Fans are unhappy at his approach and there are rumours of a rift in the dressing room with heavyweights like Casillas and Sergio Ramos complaining about his aloof style.

These have been reinforced by his decision to omit club captain Casillas, a world and European champion with Spain, from the last two games which has been seen as an attempt to assert his authority.

“Perfect. Let them whistle me before the match and then support the team as they are doing. I think the whistles are for leaving Casillas out and also because we are not achieving our aims in the championship,” said a defiant Mourinho.

“There are others who didn’t applaud and are not happy with his (Casillas’) performances. If I am not doing well it is normal that they whistle and it is something you have to live with. I don’t want to be a hero independently of my performances.”

Casillas ended up playing after just five minutes following Adan Garrido’s dismissal for conceding a penalty.

“I told Adan before the game that the whistles he is likely to hear are for me and not for him but in my opinion there was a lack of respect for him,” said Mourinho.

“He is a player who has been 16 years at Real Madrid, he was born in Madrid and he didn’t deserve that.

“Adan deserves to be happy but I don’t know why in Spain that happened. The problem is that the press have turned an attack on Jose Mourinho into a lack of respect for Adan.”