Rivaldo Exclusive: Playing La Liga games in the US is wrong and will damage the league

“I don’t see this as creating competition to the Premier League, but just a boost to financial income for Spanish Federation and clubs. Playing Championship matches outside the country is wrong to me and I clearly disagree.”

This decision take some La Liga matches into the US seems purely financial and one that doesn’t take Spanish fans into account. The real fans will be deprived of seeing their teams live and the league itself could lose out.

I don’t see this as creating competition to the Premier League, but just a boost to financial income for Spanish Federation and clubs. Playing Championship matches outside the country is wrong to me and I clearly disagree.

The players are going to be more tired with so many long trips and time zone changes, but the decision makers don’t play football. It’s why I think captains should have taken part in the discussion before decisions being taken. After all, the players are the stars of the game.

It’s not easy for a player to do all these trips, and at same time being criticised if not performing at the same level. I remember the times when I was playing for clubs and national team, and it wasn’t easy to combine everything without losing some performance.

What is the beneficial part of this for the players? If there is no benefit, then it doesn’t make sense to me. The players also have their families to think about so this is another tough situation for them.

As said, club captains should have been consulted before any decision was taken, as their agreement could be crucial. But I don’t expect the players to create major problems such as going on strike.

I can only speak good things of Jose Mourinho, from the times we were at Barcelona together, he was always was nice to me and a good friend. I consider him a good person and an excellent manager.

It’s normal to see him criticised when the titles don’t come at such a big club as Manchester United. He won so many titles at Porto, Inter, Real Madrid and Chelsea, and United fans want something similar.

When you win, things tend to get easier, and no one questions your approach. I remember when he eliminated Barcelona from Champions League at Camp Nou while commanding Inter to the trophy. It was a very defensive approach, but it worked.

Sometimes, a manager may not be playing an attractive football because of the resources available, as you need to have the right players to perform and I don’t believe Mourinho is playing so defensively because he wants or because he thinks it is the best system.

When you don’t win, the manager as well as the system are usually the easiest aspects for press and fans to criticise. It’s part of football, and won’t change.

Jose’s future at the club will depend on his results, especially with Zinedine Zidane knocking on the door to replace him. The French manager won three consecutive Champions League and is waiting for a room at a big club, so the pressure is raising for Mourinho, but I think he still can turn this around.

A home win against Tottenham on Monday could be crucial for their season and I believe Red Devils will end up earning three important points at Old Trafford. Alexis Sanchez could make the difference and I’d expect Jan Vertonghen to have a tough night, so my suggested Same Game Multi is Manchester United to win, Sanchez to score and Vertonghen to get booked.

I think Real Madrid will manage to grab three points on their trip to Girona on Sunday evening (kick-off 21:15, live on Betfair Live Video), and gain revenge for losing there 2-1 last season. They are focusing on avoiding the same mistakes of last season when they started badly and never had chances to comeback. For that reason, and considering the difficulties that the opponent may oppose, Los Merengues will be 100% focused on their mission and would probably win the match.

The same applies to Barcelona, when they travel to Valladolid on Saturday (kick-off 21:15, live on Betfair Live Video) four years after their last visit. They started with a comfortable home win, and despite also facing some difficulties, they should manage to beat Valladolid on course for six points in two matches.

In my opinion, Cristiano Ronaldo deserves to win the UEFA Player of the Year. He scored four times at the World Cup and played a huge part in Real Madrid’s Champions League success. He also scored a lot of goals, and that bicycle kick goal at Juventus was unforgettable.

Despite their good campaigns, I don’t believe that Luka Modric or Mo Salah will steal another major individual trophy from him.