Mourinho denies any friction with his Real bosses

Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho boasted of "very, very, very good" relations with club bosses on Monday, after its latest 1-0 away loss to Real Betis.

Some Spanish media had speculated about tension between Mourinho and Real Madrid President Florentino Perez as the club trails 11 points behind league leader Barcelona.

"I have very, very, very good relations with the president," as well as managing director Jose Angel Sanchez and other club members, the Portuguese coach said.

"Relations could not be better," he said.

Some Spanish newspapers said Mourinho wanted Real Madrid to show greater support for his complaints about refereeing and the fixtures calendar, which he judged unfair to the team.

But the coach said he was not calling on the club to say anything.

"The club is sovereign. It is up to the club to decide if it is happy with this line," Mourinho said.

Mourinho refused to discuss Saturday's loss against Betis at the news conference, held on the eve of Real Madrid's domestic King's Cup clash against Alcoyano.

"Now is the time to talk about the Cup. At the end of the season, with all the results in hand, we will sit down calmly and analyze the situation," the Portuguese said.

Meanwhile, midfielder Xabi Alonso on Monday jumped to Mourinho's defense.

"The club is behind the coach, the team too and I think the fans as well. Jose Mourinho is the best coach that we could have," said Alonso. "We accept criticism and if it comes from the coach then we take it into account even more," said the Spanish international.

Real's next La Liga game is against Atletico Madrid, which is sitting second, three points behind Barcelona.

"It's not a surprise that Atletico are there. They're a big team, with a great coach (Diego Simeone) who keeps his entire team on their toes," Alonso said.

(China Daily 11/28/2012 page22)