Mourinho: “It’s one of the toughest matches in LaLiga, and we have to be at our best to win”

José Mourinho spoke in the press room of the Ciudad Real Madrid ahead of the match against Valencia, corresponding to matchday 12 of LaLiga, which will be played at Mestalla (Saturday, 9:00 pm CEST; Orange TV and Dazn). The coach analyzed the match: “I think the team is doing well. We arrived from Athens at three in the morning but stayed here. No player went home to try to get a couple more hours of sleep. Yesterday was the first recovery day and today the second. The feedback from the players is positive. Obviously, it will be tough, but we’re not going to dramatize now. We’ll be ready tomorrow.” 

“I’m not one to miss things, and now that you’ve reminded me, there have been good moments at Mestalla. More than Mestalla, I look at Valencia as a big club. Fortunately, you’ve given me the opportunity to touch on the most important thing, which is tomorrow’s game. I consider it one of the toughest in the entire league, with a very experienced coach who knows exactly what he wants for his teams. It will be a very tough match for us, without thinking about what we’ve achieved so far with seven consecutive wins, five in LaLiga. We only think that it will be a very difficult match and that to win we have to be at our best.”

Cristiano Ronaldo’s retirement from his national team
“I don’t want to comment on it. I think more than commenting, his decision should be respected, as is obvious. It’s not a retirement; his career isn’t over. Those who know him know that he still has goals in his career. The only thing I’d like is for his retirement as a player to be on a different day than yesterday. Will I see him as a coach? I don’t know what might be in his mind, but it’s too early to make any comment because he’s still a player.”

Valverde
“I can’t compare him to last season because I didn’t know him then. Since we started working together, I’ve seen a great guy, professional, humble, and a friend to his teammates. He’s a good example for everyone. Being the captain of Real Madrid has given him a sense of responsibility, as it should. Being the captain of Real Madrid is no easy task.”

Player rest
“I don’t think about that, only about tomorrow’s game. I changed some players in the match against AEK. Despite Militão and Rüdiger playing a great game, it’s easy to understand that Konaté and Huijsen will play tomorrow. I distributed minutes among players who can share them. Thanks to the decision that we play on Saturday, the players going to their national teams have Sunday off and are happy because they can spend time with their families, so many thanks for the decision.”

Atlético-Barcelona
“I’d like both to lose. It’s not possible. It’s very easy for me because someone will drop points. Last week we all won, but this weekend we know that one or both of them will drop points. Honestly, I don’t care.”

Possible suspension of the matchday
“As I’ve been informed, there will be beautiful tributes organized across all competitions, and I think that’s significant. If it were possible to talk to Jesús and ask him the question, that would be the ideal situation. Since it’s impossible, only his family, friends, and teammates can answer what Jesús would like to happen—whether he’d want no football or be remembered with a beautiful tribute in all the stadiums. It’s something for him, his family, and teammates. I don’t think any of us can say one thing or another. The tribute is to Jesús, and those who know him deeply should speak.”

Vini Jr.
“For me, the most important thing is the team. Never by my own will would I harm the team to benefit a player. When we return to normal with Vini Jr. being available, I’ll manage it. I want the team to think game by game, but as a coach, I have to think about the next matches and the sequence of games we have. The match against AEK was for Vini Jr., to give some rest to a player like Güler, who had some issues.”

“The most straightforward answer to your question is that a coach must do everything to have his players at the highest level, try different strategies, in-game or personal management, and always believe in the player’s true potential. A bad player will always be bad no matter how much you try to improve them. A good one has their bad moments but leaves the door open to return to their normal state. The game that Vini Jr. played in Athens—if it wasn’t Vini Jr. but a regular player—we’d all say he had a good game. Not incredible because his team didn’t play incredibly. We always expect the Vini Jr. who eliminated me from the Champions League, and that version exists, which we all expect. We must continue working with all strategies at all levels. Something important is the friendship of his teammates, without exception. When deciding who plays, the team is above the individual.”

International break
“I’m worried about tomorrow’s match, worried in a manner of speaking. The difficulty of tomorrow’s match is my concern. The national team isn’t a problem. That coaches respect the players, the minutes they give them, and the protection against possible injuries… It doesn’t worry me at all that a player has the honor of playing for his country. For me, the problem is tomorrow’s match against a fresh team that had the whole week to prepare, with a coach who isn’t concerned about whether they’ll play beautifully or not, but about winning the game at all costs. It’s a very tough match, and that’s what concerns me.”

Game momentum
“It’s better not to have to come from behind, better like in Santander, 0-3, and it could have been four or five by halftime. Coming from behind means many positive things but also some negatives. The positives are belief, the group, the friendship, openness to risky situations, a strong bench, group motivation, knowing what jersey you’re wearing… But it also has its negative side, and we need to work on it, finding more consistency in starting games well, like in Santander and practically all at our home. There’s a lot to do.”