Queiroz: It was a special season

He replaces Vicente del Bosque, who was released by the club on Monday, just a day after guiding Real to their 29th La Liga crown. 

Only hours earlier, we brought you part one of our exclusive interview with the former Manchester United coach shortly after he left Old Trafford for the summer break. He spoke of his respect for his recent boss, Sir Alex Ferguson, who he described yesterday in glowing terms as "a man of magnitude which is beyond comparison," adding, "he is a real football person, more than that, he is football.

"He has some human qualities, which are unknown. He has all of my respect and I have a lot of admiration for Manchester United. They are a great club."

In his chat with TheFA.com, Queiroz told us about his year with United and what he learned from the English game.

"I'm very proud and happy to look at my first season at Old Trafford. It has been a great year."

Though United ended up with the Premiership Trophy in their hands, their campaign did have its downsides and it is these periods that helped build a unique team spirit that, Queiroz believes, put them on the path to success.

"The worst part came when we had many injuries but even at that time our experience in the Champions League was great," he said, "I've looked back at our whole season on the videos and for me the special thing about our team was the way the foreign and English influences mixed to find a harmony."

He added: "It was the timing and the movement between the players that became special as the season went on."
One United star who has come under some criticism and is continuously linked with a move away from Old Trafford is their £28m signing, Juan Sebastian Veron. Though the midfielder looked comfortable in European games, he has failed to set the Premiership stage alight since his arrival from Lazio, but the former Portuguese and South African coach says this is common with players coming from a different football background. He also thinks that Veron's growing partnership with England star, Paul Scholes, was a major part of United's glory.

"It takes time to take for a player like Veron to settle. He's an Argentinean who was playing in Italy and he has come into the English game, which is of course different and so quick," explained Queiroz.

"The game is so much more faster in England as opposed to Italy where the football can sometimes be indirect. 

"But, when he adjusted, it was wonderful to see the harmony between Veron and Scholes. They recognised each other's movement and reacted quickly in the right way."

He has also seen this happen at other clubs in England and says that it's about getting the correct balance between homegrown and continental styles to benefit the team.

"The mix between the English route and the foreign influence is what made United special and it is the same in the Premier League as a whole," he said.

"If you look at Bolton they were a very good example. In the beginning of the season, when Okocha had just joined, they were struggling to play together a bit. At times it seemed as though half the team was moving to a samba rhythm and half to a rock and roll. But then, after a little while, they settled more and, with players like Okocha and Djorkaeff combining, they were a completely different team."

Queiroz now has his own constellation of stars and styles at Madrid and will hope he can get the blend right.

Carlos Queiroz was speaking to Daniel Freedman

Carlos Queiroz - Fact File