Mourinho: "We need to play at our best, stay focused, and maintain our level of play"

José Mourinho analyzed in the press room of the Allwyn Arena the match that Real Madrid will play against AEK Athens in the fourth matchday of the Champions League (Wednesday, 6:45 pm CET; Orange TV and Movistar Plus+): "We are close to qualifying for the playoffs, but far from advancing directly to the round of 16, and we need points. We must play a serious match against a team that, especially at their stadium, is strong. Madrid, if I'm not mistaken, has only won one European match in Athens out of eight. I think that speaks volumes. We need to play at our best, stay focused, and try to maintain our level of play because we need the points. We cannot make it easy for them.”

The passing of Jesús de Miguel
“These are everyone’s words. I think it's something very shocking for the world in general. Imagine for the football world and for people like us who are on the field every day. It’s tough and it’s sad. All my words and feelings go out to the family and friends of the player who passed away. I also think it must be a very complicated moment for the other player involved in the situation. It’s sad for everyone.”

The comeback in Rome
“I think, emotionally, it has an impact. You're in a game that seems lost, and then you come back and win. Obviously, on an emotional level, it can leave something positive. But, in terms of the game itself, I don’t think it has an impact. Because I believe more in the process and the moment. We are getting to know each other better with every game and training session, and we have the opportunity to improve. We discover more about each other with every experience we go through. I learn about the players, and the players learn about me. This accumulation of work and experience is what makes teams better. I don’t believe much in turning points.”

Comparison between this Madrid and the one he coached in the past
"I don’t like making comparisons, neither of players nor of teams. We are talking about many years ago. Honestly, I don’t like it. This team has great potential, without a doubt. The team back then also had it and won many titles. With me, they only won three, but afterward, they won for many years. This team hasn’t won anything yet and is just starting. We’ll see what the future holds, but I am very happy with the squad and the players I have.”

Winning his third Champions League
“It would be the third with three different clubs, and this one with the biggest club in the world. But we are talking about hypothetical situations, and I prefer real ones. The reality is that we still need points to qualify. Until we are qualified, I don’t like talking about the round of 16. We need to earn points, and we’ve earned nine so far. Six of those came against two very tough teams. But we need to keep going, and tomorrow is a tough match. After this inconvenient trip between two important league games, we need to win.”

Fede Valverde
“I see him as a very important player for the team. The fact that he is the captain of Real Madrid makes him look around differently. When you are the captain, you have to be different than when you weren’t. It’s a different responsibility, and I think that responsibility will make him play at left-back if necessary. To me, being captain is about doing whatever is necessary for your team and your teammates. I am absolutely sure there will be no issue with Fede if he has to play anywhere. The truth is the squad was built with Valverde in mind as a midfielder and with two good and different right-backs. Fede, in this preseason setup, was a midfielder. This means we don’t have many midfielders, and I am sure Fede will surely play as a midfielder again at some point. If you ask me if I’m very happy with him as a full-back, the answer is yes. If you ask me if the team is better with him as a full-back and is playing better football with the combinations between him and Arda in that area, the answer is also yes. In midfield, we have Bernardo, Tchouameni, Camavinga, Thiago, and that’s it. Today we have Sergio Martínez. I think Fede will play as a full-back because we all like him there, but he will also have to play in midfield.”

The situation with Vini Jr.
“He plays tomorrow. You’re forgetting Brahim, Endrick. We have a lot of players there with quality. For me, having many players is never a problem. The problem is having too few. Diomande and Brahim are players who can play on both wings. Endrick, more on the right but also on the left. Of all of them, Vini is the player best adapted to playing on the left wing.”

Is Arda Güler a top player?
“He’s out tomorrow. Ask about him on Saturday.”

The match
“The game will be tough for many reasons. They are the champions, and we’ve faced many champions in this series of eight games. Greece, traditionally, is a tough place to play. Even Real Madrid, the kings of Europe, have only won one of their eight games in Greece, if I’m not mistaken, and with a challenging result last season. It’s been many years since I’ve played here, but I’ve played twice and have perfectly felt the difficulty of playing in such environments. It’s a team that also has a very tough Champions League calendar. They’ve faced very challenging matches, and I think, as everyone does, that they see their home games as their best opportunity to earn points, and they’ll fight for it. The white jersey carries a lot of motivational weight. I believe every opponent who sees the white jersey gets very motivated. For us, it’s an honor, but it’s reality, and we expect a tough match. To win it, we have to be at our best. If we’re not, we won’t win.”

How long does it take for your team to reach perfection?
“Three seasons.”

Disclaimer: Translation generated by artificial intelligence. It may contain inaccuracies.