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Real Madrid defender Ricardo Carvalho has warned Barcelona not to rest on their laurels from last season, and that Jose Mourinho’s will improve next year and give them a tougher fight than before. He cited the example of Mourinho’s previous teams enjoying a better second season than first every time, and said that the new signings made so far boded well for them.
Real Madrid lost out to Barcelona in the league last term with the Blaugranas decimating all before them, including a 5-0 thrashing of Madrid at the Nou Camp. Barcelona also eliminated Real Madrid from the semi finals of the Champions League in a feisty two-legged affair.
But Mourinho got some of his own back when Los Blancos edged out the Catalan side 1-0 in the Copa del Ray final with a towering Ronaldo header. This marked Madrid’s first piece of silverware in more than three years, a barren period for a club of their stature that needed urgent fixing.
Speaking to the media on Madrid’s tour of the US, Carvalho said-
“Jose Mourinho’s teams improve every day and I guess that’s why his second year at a side is the best.
“We all know each other better. We grow every day. We try to improve and make our game progress.”
Talking about Mourinho himself, Carvalho paid tribute to his fiercely competitive nature and said that he always wanted to improve and finish one better than the last season. He said-
“He always wants to improve, from the first day and every day,”
“With him you learn every day; his second years are better than his first because the players know each other better – it already happened at Porto and at Chelsea.”
Carvalho also said that the new signings Mourinho had brought in would add quality to the team and improve competition for places, for a big squad was necessary if Madrid wanted to fight on all fronts. He said-
“Our new reinforcements are very good.
“It’s still too soon to talk about them, but I believe they will make the team improve.”
It remains to be seen if Mourinho’s positive second season syndrome continues with Madrid, or if Barcelona continue to reign supreme in La Liga for yet another season. Stay tuned for more in this regard.
