Mourinho: “The last victory holds great significance if we win again”
"Our thoughts are with the families and friends of the victims of the Urda tragedy," said our coach.
José Mourinho appeared in the press room of the Ciudad Real Madrid ahead of the match against Racing de Santander, corresponding to the eleventh matchday of the League, which will be played at El Sardinero (Sunday, 4:15 pm; Orange TV and Dazn). Before starting the conference, the coach expressed his condolences for the railway accident: “I wanted to say, on my behalf and on behalf of everyone working for Real Madrid, that our thoughts are with the families and friends of the victims of the Urda tragedy. Our embrace, feelings, and heart.”
The match against Racing
“We are in good form and working well. We are preparing properly for this match. Five games after their promotion to the League, El Sardinero has seen three victories and two draws. They are playing well and have a strong connection with their fans. The game is on Sunday afternoon, which is something we are not accustomed to anymore, and it will be tough.”
“The last victory holds great significance if we win again. If we lose the points we gained last weekend, the victory won’t carry the same meaning. We must respect Racing. They have a very specific way of playing, and according to their coach's words, they will play with the ambition to win. We won’t be caught off guard by the difficulty of the game.”
The Ballon d'Or results
“I had the privilege of working with Harry Kane. He is a great player, a great professional, and a great person. Despite the frustration that my player hasn’t won, I must also be honest and say I am very happy for Harry. He is a player and a person who deserves this happiness and to add this accolade to his career. On the other hand, Kylian is unique. Some players like Messi, Cristiano, Ronaldo, or Platini have won the Ballon d'Or multiple times. Every year we have a Ballon d'Or, but the best player in the history of the World Cups is only one. Regarding the Ballon d'Or voting, the thing that left me a bit surprised is the position of Jude Bellingham, who was eleventh. No further comments.”
The Team's Day-to-Day
“Since we started, we have won and lost matches. Obviously, the mood changes a bit depending on the joy you have from winning or not. That’s normal. But I have always seen the same empathy, respect, and willingness to work. I always see the same balance in victory and in defeat in that regard. I think we are not a team with great maturity and a lot of experience. We are a young team overall, but I have always seen a team with a lot of maturity and calmness in difficult moments and in times of glory.”
“It’s dangerous. I think every match is dangerous, whether at home or away, but for away matches, you have to add the opposing crowd, the pressure they can impose, the motivation of the opponents who feel more confident at home… Every opponent has their strengths at home. Racing is a team that hasn’t lost at home. Then, when we play against AEK Athens, they play tomorrow against Panathinaikos, and we will face a team that is either happy because they won the derby or, in quotes, in crisis because they lost. Against Valencia, we are going to a stadium that is always difficult and has a very experienced coach who has recently arrived.” “After playing in Athens on Wednesday, you arrive Thursday morning… It’s an accumulation of challenges that we are aware of. It will be difficult, but it is also a test of our resilience and our will to be happy at the end of the season. It will also be a test of our empathy and our squad, where we try to ensure everyone is prepared and motivated to play. But it’s very difficult. I think playing four consecutive away matches is an almost unique situation. We were supposed to play on Sunday in Valencia, but we’re playing on Saturday. They’ve taken two days off from us and concentrated three matches with three trips in seven days. It’s a great gift that LaLiga or the broadcasters have given us. But it’s a gift we have to face, and let’s see if we leave them disappointed.” His Approach
“Over the years, I consider myself more balanced in terms of not caring about what they say. If they criticize me, it doesn’t affect me. I still think that in Barcelona, it was the players who deserved the credit. I am only here to help them. If I leave a match feeling like I’ve helped, I leave very happy. But I am completely balanced. I am neither braver nor less brave, neither more defensive nor less defensive. The defensive coach from the first stage is the defensive coach of the 100 points and more than 120 goals. I would like to be the defensive coach of that season and score so many goals and earn so many points. What’s different about me is that I am not stubborn. I am open to drawing conclusions from the things I study, see, discuss, and debate… I am calm, which is how I want the team to be in both difficult and good moments.” Does Valverde’s Position Affect the Rest?
“This pains me. I don’t like creating bad feelings in my players; I like creating good ones. When you build a squad based on two players per position and then make a third play, it’s something I don’t like, that hurts me, and that makes me sad. But there are things more important than these feelings, which are what is best for the team at a given moment. I thought that at that particular moment, the best thing for the team was to change the midfield and play Fede as a much more offensive full-back than the others, thinking about the team and less about the players. But I have had good acceptance from Trent and Dumfries when we explained to them that it was a decision for the team and not against the players.” “In the end, everyone will play. For example, tomorrow Fede won’t start the match, and one of the others will play. In the match against Barcelona, due to the circumstances of the match, Dumfries and Trent ended up playing. I don’t think they will be asking for any kind of exit. The difficulty of the season, with so many matches and those gifts of playing three matches in six days, the accumulation of cards, the accumulation of fatigue, some injuries… In the end, everyone will play.” His Preferred Lineup
“I don’t think about Vinicius’s individual situation. I don’t have that fixed lineup. The preferred lineup today may be different in a couple of weeks. Today’s football is not the football of years ago. It’s much more intense, faster, and physically demanding than before. Reciting a team’s fixed lineup from memory, as was done many years ago, is very difficult in today’s football. I feel the team is better when I have players with different characteristics in midfield. That’s a matter of principle, but I don’t think of them as fixed starters. Vinicius’s situation at the moment is very simple. He doesn’t play in LaLiga and plays in the Champions League. I want his suspension to end quickly because I want and need him. And when I say I want and need him, I’m not saying he will start, but I’m also not saying he’s a problem for me. He is another great player we will have. It’s a very good squad.” Mbappé and China
“I am calm because my club is Real Madrid, and the player in question is Kylian Mbappé. Both Real Madrid and Mbappé have shown the class to have an immediate reaction. As a coach, I feel very represented by both my club and my player.” Mbappé After the Ballon d’Or
“Kylian is very intelligent and mature, with a very high level of self-esteem. And at the same time, he has class. The way he interpreted the Ballon d’Or for Harry, I only saw a sense of class and respect. One thing is knowing you’re the best, and another is having respect for someone who has done a lot to win a trophy. From Kylian, I only see class. Regarding the situation in China, these are the dangers of today’s world, where often the best thing you can do is not say anything. There’s danger in many things you say or comment on. But I’ve also seen him very responsible with a club that, at this level, is of great class. From our side, it’s done, and we have nothing more to do.”
The Team's Day-to-Day
“Since we started, we have won and lost matches. Obviously, the mood changes a bit depending on the joy you have from winning or not. That’s normal. But I have always seen the same empathy, respect, and willingness to work. I always see the same balance in victory and in defeat in that regard. I think we are not a team with great maturity and a lot of experience. We are a young team overall, but I have always seen a team with a lot of maturity and calmness in difficult moments and in times of glory.”
“It’s dangerous. I think every match is dangerous, whether at home or away, but for away matches, you have to add the opposing crowd, the pressure they can impose, the motivation of the opponents who feel more confident at home… Every opponent has their strengths at home. Racing is a team that hasn’t lost at home. Then, when we play against AEK Athens, they play tomorrow against Panathinaikos, and we will face a team that is either happy because they won the derby or, in quotes, in crisis because they lost. Against Valencia, we are going to a stadium that is always difficult and has a very experienced coach who has recently arrived.” “After playing in Athens on Wednesday, you arrive Thursday morning… It’s an accumulation of challenges that we are aware of. It will be difficult, but it is also a test of our resilience and our will to be happy at the end of the season. It will also be a test of our empathy and our squad, where we try to ensure everyone is prepared and motivated to play. But it’s very difficult. I think playing four consecutive away matches is an almost unique situation. We were supposed to play on Sunday in Valencia, but we’re playing on Saturday. They’ve taken two days off from us and concentrated three matches with three trips in seven days. It’s a great gift that LaLiga or the broadcasters have given us. But it’s a gift we have to face, and let’s see if we leave them disappointed.” His Approach
“Over the years, I consider myself more balanced in terms of not caring about what they say. If they criticize me, it doesn’t affect me. I still think that in Barcelona, it was the players who deserved the credit. I am only here to help them. If I leave a match feeling like I’ve helped, I leave very happy. But I am completely balanced. I am neither braver nor less brave, neither more defensive nor less defensive. The defensive coach from the first stage is the defensive coach of the 100 points and more than 120 goals. I would like to be the defensive coach of that season and score so many goals and earn so many points. What’s different about me is that I am not stubborn. I am open to drawing conclusions from the things I study, see, discuss, and debate… I am calm, which is how I want the team to be in both difficult and good moments.” Does Valverde’s Position Affect the Rest?
“This pains me. I don’t like creating bad feelings in my players; I like creating good ones. When you build a squad based on two players per position and then make a third play, it’s something I don’t like, that hurts me, and that makes me sad. But there are things more important than these feelings, which are what is best for the team at a given moment. I thought that at that particular moment, the best thing for the team was to change the midfield and play Fede as a much more offensive full-back than the others, thinking about the team and less about the players. But I have had good acceptance from Trent and Dumfries when we explained to them that it was a decision for the team and not against the players.” “In the end, everyone will play. For example, tomorrow Fede won’t start the match, and one of the others will play. In the match against Barcelona, due to the circumstances of the match, Dumfries and Trent ended up playing. I don’t think they will be asking for any kind of exit. The difficulty of the season, with so many matches and those gifts of playing three matches in six days, the accumulation of cards, the accumulation of fatigue, some injuries… In the end, everyone will play.” His Preferred Lineup
“I don’t think about Vinicius’s individual situation. I don’t have that fixed lineup. The preferred lineup today may be different in a couple of weeks. Today’s football is not the football of years ago. It’s much more intense, faster, and physically demanding than before. Reciting a team’s fixed lineup from memory, as was done many years ago, is very difficult in today’s football. I feel the team is better when I have players with different characteristics in midfield. That’s a matter of principle, but I don’t think of them as fixed starters. Vinicius’s situation at the moment is very simple. He doesn’t play in LaLiga and plays in the Champions League. I want his suspension to end quickly because I want and need him. And when I say I want and need him, I’m not saying he will start, but I’m also not saying he’s a problem for me. He is another great player we will have. It’s a very good squad.” Mbappé and China
“I am calm because my club is Real Madrid, and the player in question is Kylian Mbappé. Both Real Madrid and Mbappé have shown the class to have an immediate reaction. As a coach, I feel very represented by both my club and my player.” Mbappé After the Ballon d’Or
“Kylian is very intelligent and mature, with a very high level of self-esteem. And at the same time, he has class. The way he interpreted the Ballon d’Or for Harry, I only saw a sense of class and respect. One thing is knowing you’re the best, and another is having respect for someone who has done a lot to win a trophy. From Kylian, I only see class. Regarding the situation in China, these are the dangers of today’s world, where often the best thing you can do is not say anything. There’s danger in many things you say or comment on. But I’ve also seen him very responsible with a club that, at this level, is of great class. From our side, it’s done, and we have nothing more to do.” Is Madrid more compact without Vinicius in the lineup?
“I see a group that works to be a cohesive unit, both the players who are on the field and those who are not. There is a game model about how you press, how you defend in a low block, how you build against a team that presses you higher, how you build against a team that waits for you… It’s a game model that keeps developing, and then you change several players, and nothing happens.”
Disclaimer: Translation generated by artificial intelligence. It may contain inaccuracies.