eager to impose his authority. The Portuguese is tightening the belt, perhaps too much. Perhaps he is paving the way to leave Madrid in the knowledge that La Liga is now a distant dream thanks to Barcelona's 16-point advantage.



Alberto Pinero | Real Madrid Correspondent

By Inaki Angulo and Sam Lee Jose Mourinho faced his enemies in the Real Madrid dressing room head on on Saturday night by dropping Iker Casillas , the iconic captain of his club and country.Months of internal war and cloak and dagger skirmishes have finally spilled over into the public eye, with the Portuguese making an example of a man who could genuinely be considered Mr Real Madrid.Dropping Casillas is the latest and starkest measure taken by Mourinho in a fully planned-out strategy to securehis exit from the club.Since the start of the season, he has been paving a way to freedom in case things turned sour. And turned sour they have. The fans quickly turned on the coach following a series of poor results that left los Blancos trailing Barcelona by 13 points as of Saturday morning. When faced by a hostile reception from the crowd ahead of the crucial derby against Atletico Madrid, Mourinho realised that there was no turning back on his plan.Since declaring that he "has no team" following defeat against Sevilla back in September, he has increasingly risked his own reputation by making a number of controversial statements in the media - even by his standards. From continually criticising his players, the cantera, and even the club