'Zidane not ready to coach Real Madrid' – Remon

The ex-Blancos boss is adamant the Frenchman is not prepared to cope with the added pressure that comes with working as a trainer at the Santiago Bernabeu

Sporting director Zinedine Zidane is not ready to take charge at Real Madrid as a coach, according to Mariano Garcia Remon.

With former boss Jose Mourinho returning to Chelsea, los Blancos are on the lookout for a new trainer, with Carlo Ancelotti and Zidane reportedly in talks with the club.

However, Remon, would prefer a more experienced coach over the former France international.

“To be the coach of Real Madrid requires a special responsibility,” the 62-year-old told Marca.

“It’s a very complicated, they expect results. It is premature to say that ‘Zizou’ will coach Real Madrid.

“Everyone’s talking about Madrid, and under this pressure, the coach still has to make important decisions. All coaches will have added pressure at Madrid, more than at any other club.

“Towards the end of long contracts, the results are evaluated. If the numbers are negative, then the deal gets terminated. We have seen an example recently with Mourinho, who had a contract [until 2016].”

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Dortmund rule out Lewandowski move abroad

The German giants have made it clear the striker will not be moving to England or Spain after previously ruling out a domestic transfer

Borussia Dortmund have revealed Robert Lewandowski will not be allowed to move abroad this summer and say he will “definitely” be at the club next season.

The Poland international is keen to leave BVB ahead of the 2013-14 campaign, and made clear his desire to follow Mario Gotze to Bayern Munich before his contract expires in June 2014.

However, Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke recently insisted that they would not sell Lewandowski to the Champions League winners, before suggesting that a move abroad was still an option.

The striker has since been linked with Real Madrid and Manchester United, but Dortmund have now made it clear that they will not sanction a move abroad.

“Robert will now definitively play for Borussia Dortmund next season. We need clarity in order to plan for the future,” Watzke was quoted as saying by Suddeutsche Zeitung.

Sporting director Michael Zorc, meanwhile, has also confirmed that Lewandowski is going nowhere as they are set to kick off their preparations for the new season.

“We will start our pre-season in two weeks time. We wanted to have clarity on this matter,” added Zorc.

Dortmund’s decision not to sell Lewandowski this summer means that the 24-year-old is likely to leave the club on a free transfer next year.

Bayern Munich have reportedly already told the striker’s agent, Cezary Kucharski, that they remain interested in Lewandowski and will sign him in 2014 if Dortmund don’t budge this summer.

Napoli should not sell Cavani, says Careca

The former Brazil international believes the Partenopei cannot afford to lose their star player and has singled out Leandro Damiao as the perfect replacement if he leaves

Napoli legend Careca has urged the Serie A outfit to do everything in their power to hold on to Edinson Cavani amid strong interest from Real Madrid, Manchester City and Chelsea.

The Stadio San Paolo side recently turned down an offer from Chelsea for the 26-year-old, while the attacker’s mother claimed that he is in talks with City and Madrid over a summer move.

Nevertheless, Careca, who wore the Napoli jersey from 1987 until 1993, has urged his former team not to sell as he believes Cavani is too important to the team.

“From all the attackers at the Confederations Cup, I like Cavani the most. He has shown over the past three years that he can score all kinds of goals. He is fast, strong, a real beast,” the Brazilian told Corriere dello Sport.

“It’s quite simple for Napoli, they should not let Cavani go. The team would lose 70 per cent of its strength if he were to leave. He scores too many goals and is always decisive.”

The prolific attacker has a €63 million release clause in his contract with Napoli, which runs until 2017, and Careca realises that there is a chance Napoli cannot prevent their star player from leaving and advised them to go for Leandro Damiao if Cavani indeed moves on.

“I already alerted Napoli to Damiao some three years ago. There’s a lot of talk about him possibly moving to Napoli now. He is a very potent striker who is very clever and has excellent technique.”

The 23-year-old Damiao has also been heavily linked with Tottenham and Olympique de Marseille in the past few weeks. His contract with Internacional runs until 2017.

Barcelona midfield masterclass proves Spain don't need Xabi Alonso

Xavi, Iniesta and Busquets produced a stunning show against Uruguay in the absence of the Real Madrid man, whose place in the side could come into question ahead of the World Cup

COMMENT
By Ben Hayward | Spanish Football Writer

Spain are already the best. In Recife on Sunday night, however, the best became better still in a sumptuous showing of fluid football.

It was an elite exhibition of midfield mastery which undid Uruguay and left everyone wondering if anyone will be able to live with the world and European champions at next year’s summer showpiece in Brazil, let alone this Confederations Cup. And it all happened without Xabi Alonso.

Vicente del Bosque’s much-maligned double pivot was abandoned in Alonso’s absence, the Real Madrid midfielder recovering from surgery on a groin injury which will leave him sidelined for around two months. But instead of suffering without one of the world’s finest footballers, Spain shone and it remains something of a mystery how they didn’t have more to show for their dominance than just a 2-1 win courtesy of a Diego Lugano own goal and Roberto Soldado’s smart finish.

There was more fluidity in the football, better link-up play and a natural balance in the team; Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Sergio Busquets already form the game’s most magnificent midfield at Barcelona and on Sunday they showed they do not need Alonso. Nor, it seems, do Spain.

The roles were clear: Xavi made the Spain side tick with a masterclass of passing and recycling of possession in midfield; Iniesta skipped past players with grace and ease, orchestrating many moves with his silky skills and close control; Busquets was perfectly positioned to break up attacks, begin new ones and feed his team-mates with intelligent and dynamic distribution in tight spaces. Together at Barca, the three have been doing this since Pep Guardiola promoted Sergio to the first team in 2008. The understanding of roles is total and ahead of those three, with Cesc Fabregas dropping deeper to combine and connect, Pedro’s pace offering an altogether different threat and Roberto Soldado slotting seamlessly into the side and some clever link-up play of his own, Alonso was not missed at all on Sunday.

SUAREZ BEATS CAVANI IN REAL REHEARSAL

THE URUGUAYAN VIEW
Before kick-off, Uruguay’s clash was billed as a chance for both Edinson Cavani and Luis Suarez to show off their talents to watchers from Real Madrid. Ultimately, though, it was the Liverpool star who left the best impression. An outstanding free kick in the dying minutes of the game served as consolation for the South Americans, and pushed Luis above his attacking partner who suffered an indifferent, frustrating match chasing shadows out wide.

In truth, there was little the Napoli star could do as the Celeste were passed off the pitch by Spain. The key defects in Oscar Tabarez’s team were to be found in midfield and defence, and though three changes improved matters after the break there is a lot of work to do before Uruguay can be competitive in Brazil.

Daniel Edwards | Uruguay Expert

The double pivot plan has long been questioned, of course, despite Spain’s success. During the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, it was Busquets who was singled out as la Roja lost their opening group game to Switzerland, but Del Bosque defended the midfielder by claiming he wished he had been a player like Sergio. And he has long defended the double pivot, too. “Our team has been based around Xabi Alonso and Busquets,” he said just last week.

Indeed, Alonso alongside Busquets in a deeper role has worked well for Spain. With said system, Del Bosque’s side have claimed the World Cup and the European Championship back to back, yet there has long been a feeling that the team could perhaps be better still and more dangerous in attack with an extra man further forward. And so it proved on Sunday as Spain played probably their finest football in the Del Bosque era to sweep aside Uruguay in a performance which should have brought many more than two goals instead of ending with a scoreline which does not begin to tell the story of the game at all.

The champions’ peerless performance raises a relevant question: Do Spain need the double pivot? Del Bosque is an advocate of playing with both deep-lying midfielders because he believes it offers added stability in tight knockout games at the very highest level. And Spain’s impressive defensive record in the last two tournament wins would appear to back up that thought process (Spain conceded only twice at the World Cup and the same number at the Euros). Against superior nations at the Confederations Cup such as Brazil and Italy, and again next summer, the system is likely to return. But will Xabi Alonso?

Sunday’s showing suggests Spain can still look solid with only one midfielder playing deep. Alonso, although a tireless worker and a tough tackler, is not a defensive midfielder anyway and while his remarkable range of passing remains an asset to the team, the all-Barca trio of Xavi, Iniesta and Busquets seems a more natural fit without the Madrid man. And if Del Bosque does decide on a more defensive double pivot, the brilliant Javi Martinez may be a better bet than Xabi anyway, due to his superior pace and extra mobility.

Alonso (32 in November; 107 caps and 15 goals for la Roja) has been a fixture in this successful side over the years and will almost certainly have a part to play in Brazil next summer, yet his style seems suited more to Madrid than Spain’s short passing philosophy. In his absence on Sunday, Del Bosque’s side pressed persistently and impressed from start to finish. Greater tests await, but if they can match that intensity and stay solid against even stronger sides, Xabi will not be needed in a starting slot next summer.

For this team to evolve once again and become the first European side to claim a World Cup in the Americas, something special will be required from la Roja in 2014. A year earlier, and inadvertently due to Alonso’s absence, they may just have found it. Great news for Spain, then, but a concerning scenario for the man they left behind.

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