Mou has had 240 hours to concentrate exclusively on planning his approach for the first leg of the Champions League semi-finals. Real Madrid finds itself in a situation that is unpalatable to the coach: having to fulfil league fixtures without being in the title race, something that had never happened to the Portuguese before - or at least not this early in the season.
However, Mou is the first to recognise that there is also an upside to this scenario, particularly if we look back to this time last year. While he refused to make excuses for getting knocked out of Europe last time around, the 'Special One' did complain about a Barcelona-Madrid fixture being sandwiched between the two legs of the Champions League semi-finals, with both teams still contending for the title. The Spanish FA paid heed and there has been no clash between the 'Clásico' and the penultimate stage of Europe's premier club competition this campaign, although ironically Real has long since given up the chase in the league.
What this does mean is that 'Los Blancos' have been able to ring the changes ahead of their all-important European tie, both against Athletic last week and this weekend against Betis. With a full week between the fixtures and nothing on the line except the difference between second and third place in the league, José Mourinho has been free to do as he sees fit. Last season, the last game before the semi-finals was at the Calderón and Mou was forced to go out all guns blazing to keep up the pressure in 'La Liga', Cristiano starring
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