Pedja Mijatovic celebrated his 57th birthday on Monday on the airwaves of Radio MARCA, in the program of Vicente Ortega, and took advantage of the congratulations to review the current situation at Real Madrid. The former striker and sporting director spoke about the tension of recent weeks, the whistles at the Bernabeu, the change in the dugout and the figure of Florentino Perez, with a clear idea: at Real Madrid “there is everything, except patience”.
Mijatovic admitted that, as a Real Madrid fan, he celebrated Barcelona’s stumble and the fact that Real Madrid are still in the fight: “Like all Real Madrid fans, at a certain moment you want Barcelona to slip up and that has happened… With all the bad things, with all the disaster, one point from the leader and alive in several important competitions”. That’s where he left one of his most forceful phrases: “Whoever thinks that Real Madrid is dead, my friend, does not understand much about football“.
Mijatovic did not hide the fact that he has followed the day-to-day life of the club “less closely” this past year because of his work in Serbia: “I’m at Partizan Belgrade… to lift a historic club… I don’t see all the games, but I do follow things and get the information.” On the sporting context, he framed the doubts in a process of adaptation: “With a year that I have started with a new coach… we were in some games well, others not so much… it is a time where you have to adapt, understand each other very well between players, and understand the philosophy of the coach”. But he warned of the peculiarity of Real Madrid: “As you know very well, at Real Madrid defeats have no justification“, and especially if they come against Barca: “Losing against Barca… in the Super Cup… it has a negative taste”.
The Bernabeu’s anger
In the midst of the anger and banners, Mijatovic asked for perspective with the presidency: “Now people, as always… look for the culprits… sometimes it is the coaches, sometimes the players and sometimes the presidents.” And he was direct with Florentino Perez: “I just say that Florentino Perez, with all his faults and all his virtues, has done something that no president has achieved.” He also extended this argument to the most criticized players: “Just as with the players… Vinicius, Bellingham… they must not forget that these players have brought a lot of joy to this club.”
Asked about the dismissal of Xabi Alonso, Mijatovic confessed surprise: “I really thought that this was not going to happen so soon… with a new project, a coach with a three-year contract, paying a clause… I thought it was going to last a little longer”. However, he understood the mechanism of the offices: “Decisions are decisions… I also in Partizan two months ago had to make a decision to sack the coach”. And he left a reflection that summarizes the harshness of the position: “If you get it right it is a normal thing, and if you make a mistake you are a disaster. I don’t think Florentino wakes up one morning and says: ‘Now everyone out’…”.
With Arbeloa as the new man in charge of “refloating” the team, Mijatovic was positive about his first appearances: “I listened to him in the first press conference… I liked him a lot. A guy who speaks well, with clear ideas, with a desire to work… according to what they say he has worked quite well in the Castilla“. He also asked for time: “We have to give him the opportunity, be patient with him too… he is in charge of the team at a rather complicated moment”.
One of the most powerful moments came when talking about Vinicius. Mijatovic recalled that he himself has been critical of his attitude on other occasions, but drew a line with the fans: “Now, in this situation, I have to say that… so many whistles towards him did not seem right to me.” His defense was based on the Brazilian’s competitive weight: “He is still a Real Madrid player and has been very decisive in very important matches… he brought us a lot of joy… in the Champions League finals he has always appeared.” And he summed it up: “Support him a little bit and this boy will surely respond.”
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