Football: Title-race over, says Mourinho

MADRID: With Real Madrid trailing La Liga leaders Barcelona by 13 points, Jose Mourinho admitted that the title race was over. While Barcelona kept up their prolific form with their 15th win in 16 games by beating second-place Atletico Madrid 4-1, Mourinho’s stuttering Real could only draw 2-2 against Espanyol. “The league is now impossible,” said Mourinho. “It is the first time that I have been in a situation like this where my team are a long way off their objectives. Thirteen points is too big a gap to overcome but what we have to do is go out and play each game. We shouldn’t be thinking about who is first, second or third. We have to be stronger. I don’t want to make a drama out of it — I will treat it as another stage of my life.”

Published in The Express Tribune, December 18^th, 2012.