Sunday, 21 August 2011

Nuri Sahin has recovered and will play the Bernabeu Trophy

Although Mourinho is delighted with his staff, the MourTeam II, still lacks a signing: Nuri Sahin. The Turkish midfielder, arrived this summer from Borussia Dortmund with the credentials of having been voted player of the Bundesliga in the last season, is the missing piece to Real Madrid to fit the entire Mourinho's puzzle.




Sahin will debut with Real Madrid in the Santiago Bernabeu Trophy
Sahin will debut with Real Madrid in the Bernabeu Trophy

Sahin, who could debut dressed in white next Wednesday at the Santiago Bernabeu Trophy, will have gallons of starter since day one. Mourinho knows he will be a key in his game plan, to the point that the Portuguese coach is willing to vary his usual system 4-3-3 for a 4-2-3-1 system in lot of matches, similar to the Barcelona's, to allow coexistence in midfield from Xabi Alonso, Khedira and Sahin.

In addition, Mourinho is convinced that in most games at the Bernabeu Stadium, Sahin and Xabi can seamlessly integrate the midfield pair, because almost all rivals come to the Real Madrid stadium to defend a tie and his team needs more speed and imagination, with less muscle the middle line.

It is precisely, the displacement speed of the ball, the Sahin's feature that Mourinho likes more. The coach is confident that the Turkish international will become a top player at European level in a few months. Hence, in the preseason, Mourinho has insisted on the importance of Sahin in the workforce and did not want to force him at any time to join the group after the untimely knee injury suffered by the Turkish in the first training in the U.S.A.

Real Madrid coach has personally overseen the day-to-day recovery. He has consulted doctors, physical therapists and the player himself to see first hand how would evolve Sahin. Mourinho wanted to care of him, knowing that his contribution to the team will be critical. Even Zinedine Zidane, first team football manager and confidant of Mourinho, has become the great defender and a kind of Sahin's elder brother in the dressing room. During these early months, Zizou is helping in the adaptation of the Turkish player in Madrid.

With Nuri Sahin about to join the group and Neymar dressed in white from January (except monumental surprise) Mourinho will have available to a template that, as he himself acknowledges, is short "by choice", but also the best he has coached throughout his career. A template prepared to win it all.