Special times ahead

Guillem Balague explains why Real Madrid will stick with Jose Mourinho for at least one more year.

Real content to let Jose build on firm foundations, says Guillem

The play-acting and faking of injury in this week's El Clasico was very disappointing indeed. Sadly though, the Spanish press hasn't dealt with the issue at all - they prefer to see it as part of the tension and the atmosphere created by the managers before the game. They've overlooked the fact that the players' poor behaviour placed a lot of pressure on the match officials and given some people in England the excuse to say 'look, the mask is off - that is Spanish football in its true light', an accusation that is unfair. To suggest as much not only takes the gloss of Spain's achievements in the World Cup and the European Championships, it also denigrates the successes over the last two years of Barcelona, who look as though they are going to reach another Champions League final, and the entertainment provided in domestic games such as Real's 6-3 win over Valencia.

Belief

Despite Real's 2-0 first leg defeat on Wednesday, there is a strong belief at the club that Jose Mourinho remains the right man to lead them forward. That's because there is much more of an acceptance that the side cannot equal Barcelona at this point in time. The emphasis instead is on putting together a side that can in the future. The target before this season began was to win trophies and, if not, to at least look like they could. By winning the Copa del Rey and reaching the Champions League semi-finals they have achieved both of those goals. Hardened fans are far more pragmatic than they used to be about Real's prospects and there is a genuine belief that Mourinho's approach remains the right one.

Foundations

That may seem odd following a game in which Real managed to have only 27 percent possession, but had the team come out of Wednesday's game with a 0-0 draw that generally would have been perceived as a good result. In a sense what matters for the remainder of the season no longer matters because the focus now is building firm foundations for next season. Sure, Florentino Perez would prefer Mourinho to adopt a different attitude in press conferences but it would appear he has largely given up hope of achieving that now. It seems clear that Mourinho will spend at least another year at Real Madrid and, if the club manages to make some astute signings, it could be a hugely successful year.

Guillem answers your questions...

Got a question for Guillem? Then send it in here or use the feedback form below, and then look out for his answer next week. TAXING TIMES
Hi Guillem, I'm a huge Tottenham fan and it is certain that we need a top-class striker in the next window. I know that we tried to sign the likes of Llorente, Rossi, Negredo and Aguero so I was just wondering will we go back in the market for one of them to lead our line next season? Personally I think that Llorente would be the best option and I have also heard how Man Utd and possibly Real Madrid are interested in him. So who may Spurs be looking at come the summer transfer window? Jack Bagley, Gravesend GUILLEM SAYS: The problem with Llorente, Jack, is that he is going to cost 35m Euros plus VAT. If there is no agreement between the clubs about who pays the VAT, the player can end up paying it himself. The club that buys the player will give that player the