Zidane defends Pepe, Mourinho MADRID – Zinedine Zidane has jumped to the defense of Pepe and Jose Mourinho, who have both been subject to intense criticism in local media after Real Madrid's King's Cup defeat to Barcelona during the week. Mourinho's “negative” tactics in the 2-1 quarterfinal first leg home loss and Pepe's stamp on Lionel Messi's hand have seen the normally supportive Madrid-based press turning on the Portuguese pair since Wednesday's game. “I think all the criticisms aimed at Madrid, their coach and the players are very unfair,” the former Real Madrid and France midfielder told sports daily AS Friday. “Pepe is a player you almost never hear a squeak from off the pitch. He's a charming lad, very polite. But when he goes on the pitch, he is obsessed with winning and this anxiety to win sees him make mistakes. “Obviously he has apologized for what he has done, but Pepe is a player who gives his all on the field of play, and sometimes he goes to the limit,” added Zidane, who was brought in to work with Mourinho as first team director of football last July. Former Real Madrid great Alfredo di Stefano also out in defense of Mourinho. Di Stefano says Mourinho “grows in the face of great challenges” and placing all of the blame on the Portuguese is akin to a “bad joke.” Madrid sports dailies AS and Marca both continued their attacks on Pepe and Mourinho Friday. Marca questioned the club's decision to support Pepe by recording a message through their television channel Thursday, in which he said standing on Messi's hand had been unintentional. “Pepe has distorted reality and made Real Madrid complicit in an action which has shamed the club's fans,” a Marca opinion piece said, when he “should have faced the facts and asked for forgiveness”. Their leading story, titled “The seven sins of Mourinho”, knocked the former Chelsea and Inter Milan coach's tactics, choice of personnel, substitutions and post-match analysis. Zidane said of the attacks on Mourinho: “How can they say we need a change of coach? Are they mad or what? Look at the statistics since he has been here, they are incredible. “To think that some doubt his commitment to Madrid and that he will stay only two years and then go. Sincerely, I would prefer that he stayed only two or three years and did something great, to someone else who stayed ten and did nothing.” Zidane says Madrid should look for elegance in its play but “against an extremely complicated rival you have to create the conditions for victory.” Pepe apologizes Real Madrid defender Pepe apologized to Lionel Messi for stepping on the Barcelona forward's hand in his team's 2-1 loss in the Copa del Rey, saying that it wasn't intentional. “As far as the play with Leo Messi, I want to say that it was an involuntary act,” Pepe told Real Madrid's website Thursday. “Even so, if Messi is offended I ask his forgiveness because I want to defend my team and club ... It never passed through my head to cause harm to a fellow professional.”
