Phil and Anto are joined by Spanish football correspondent Sid Lowe to have a discussion into the matter of Jose Mourinho and how Real Madrid seems to be at a point of emotional and mental crisis as the air war surrounding several key players has taken a new, bizarre twist. We look into all the factors leading up to this point, some of the Mourinho myths which have been shattered in all the El Clasico encounters with Barcelona and how he continues to lose the war on each front in this battle. We get into the mechanics of this problem and where some things have gone wrong for Jose Mourinho from the fact that he is in a pitched battle with one of the great sides of this generation in Barcelona. Then we explore the greater history behind Jose Mourinho leading up to his appointment at Real Madrid to examine what worked and what is different in this squad and how unique Real Madrid and the Spanish team really is and how those factors have become even more crucial when analyzing the situation. We talk a bit about the heroic fight he took to Barcelona with Internazionale Milano, the lessons learned from Chelsea and FC Porto and how different this situation really is within the prism of a powerhouse in the same general neighborhood in the shape of Barcelona. We examine the key relationships as they play out in the press and how Cristiano Ronaldo continues to play a key role in terms of how he and Mourinho are both tied at the hip based on their extreme ambition to compete and win. We also gauge the situation for a struggling Villarreal who looks at the end of a cycle for them under the weight of injury, coaching changes and financial concerns, Malaga who fails to impress even now with a cheap fourth place at stake and how Atletico Madrid and Athletic Bilbao stand to gain the most down the stretch.

Get the Flash Player to see this player.

Download Episode - Right Click and Save As

The content of this site is owned and controlled by Beyond The Pitch and is protected by international copyright laws. Portions of this content may be downloaded and copied for personal use only. Commercial entities are permitted to use this content as long as Beyond The Pitch is credited in the reporting of any broadcast created by this organization.