Real Madrid's Aitor Karanka convinced the club should be in Champions League final
Posted Thursday, May 26, 2011 by YAHOO Sport
Real Madrid assistant coach Aitor Karanka believes his side could have been in the Champions League final.
Instead, it's Barcelona who play Manchester United in the Wembley showdown this Saturday after beating Jose Mourinho's men in the semi-finals.
Plenty of controversy surrounded the tie with its La Liga rivals, which ended 3-1 on aggregate in favor of Barca. Mourinho was sent off in the first leg, and then accusations of poor sportsmanship swept across both teams with allegations Sergio Busquets had made a racist remark toward Madrid fullback Marcelo - but the case was later dropped by UEFA.
Yet, Karanka feels things should have been different.
"For the way Barcelona play we planned two different games. We thought this was for the best," he reportedly told DT.
"I am convinced that had things gone like normal then we would have reached the Champions League final.
"However, we have to improve for next year. We cannot lose games at home which prevented us from fighting for the title."
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- Real Madrid
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