Real Madrid Opening Weekend News and Gossip

RED ALERT: José Mourinho isn't happy with the Real Madrid's defense! Does that mean that Adán will supplant Iker Casillas as starting keeper? Will Pepe play striker while Cristiano Ronaldo or Angel di María play center back? What's happening to this team?!

NO.

Los blancos start the season away to Zaragoza on Sunday, a team that used to be good, but really isn't anymore--the match should be entertaining, but not overly nerve-wracking. We'll have a preview up tomorrow morning, so stay tuned for that, and in the mean time, enjoy some tasty Real Madrid gossip.

Note: "tasty Real Madrid gossip" should in no way be confused with Bernabéu Bites, a wholly respectable, reputable publication.

According to our favorite gossip rag, Mourinho is nervous/angry/ponderous about Madrid's defensive inaccuracies. And, to be fair, he kind of should be--los vikingos have conceded 11 goals in 10 games (though five of them came against Barcelona in the Supercopa). I suppose this is something to worry about, but it shouldn't matter if they keep scoring at the same rate.

Oh, and apparently Adán will replace Iker Casillas...in the Copa del Rey. I honestly don't understand why this is such a big deal--the Copa has always been the place for second-stringers and canteranos to prove their mettle (until the semi-finals/final when the big boys come out). I swear, if I hear another "Iker Casillas is DONE!!11!!!1!1" rumor from an idiot on a message board...well, you get the drill.

Ángel di María had a fascinating little quip about how Mourinho has changed his playing style (for the better, I assume):

"[Mourinho] wants us to be aggressive with and without the ball, so I've had to adapt on defense to do what he wants me to do," he said.
"[Playing here] is different than when I played for Benfica, and because of that I have to have a different mentality. I knew that if I wanted to play for Real Madrid I'd have to run more and look for more goal-scoring options. Mourinho wants us to work on defense, but keep finding spaces to attack." Source: Marca.com

And finally, it looks like Mourinho (and the rest of Madrid's sporting staff) really value Nuri Sahin's continued health--I mean, why else would the leave him out of a lineup for so long? Unlike some rumors, this one has a ring of truth to it, as Mourinho really does seem to see potential in Sahin, and it makes more sense for the staff to wait until he's completely healthy before they push him to come back. He's a great player, and I have no doubt that he'll make an impact on the squad whenever he does finally make his debut.