Mourinho: “The global dimension of the Clasico is unique, and we hope to see a great match and win”

José Mourinho addressed the media in the press room of the Ciudad Real Madrid on the day before the Clasico against Barcelona, corresponding to Matchday 10 of La Liga, which will be played at Camp Nou (Sunday, 9:00 pm CEST; Orange TV and Dazn): “We are in a good dynamic. We win matches, play well, score goals… But in Clasicos, it has no influence; they are different matches. In my experience with Clasicos and derbies, what happens before doesn't have much significance.”

“Real Madrid-Barcelona means at least two Clasicos per season, sometimes more. It doesn’t matter much who the coaches are; the most important thing is the global dimension of a Clasico, which is unique. There are other important derbies in the world of football, but this one is unique, and usually, the football-loving world stops to watch it. Let it be a great match and may we win.”

Is enough credit given?
“I feel that Real Madrid is like that. But I only seek to give credit to my players when they do well and accept criticism as a coach when we do less well. That’s the history, not only of Real Madrid but of practically all coaches in the world. Players win matches, and coaches lose them; that’s a bit of our life.”

Is tomorrow a test to see if you can win titles?
“No. Madrid with Mourinho wins titles.”

Leaks about the referee and his relationship with Negreira
“You kind of catch me by surprise with this. The referee’s name has never bothered me. I always start from the principle that the referee is good. It never bothers me to know if the referee is A, B, or C. What bothers me a little is when the rules are broken, which, according to internal information, have not been broken yet. Three weeks ago, the name of one referee came out; this week, it's another. But internally at Real Madrid, no one has told me, ‘Coach, the referee is this one.’ Whoever it is, I hope it goes well for them.”

Barcelona's defeat against PSG
“I said before that the moment tells me nothing or very little in these matches. If instead of winning 4-1 against Leipzig, we had lost 4-1, my mindset going into this match wouldn’t be different. I don’t think Barcelona, because they lost one match, will change their mindset and confidence going into this match.”

Are Barcelona praised while Madrid is criticized?
“People who, a week ago, thought Barça could thrash us probably still think the same. I don’t think the Paris match or the Leipzig match at the Bernabéu will change their idea or way of thinking. Speaking well of Barcelona doesn’t affect me and has nothing to do with me. To be honest, there are moments and matches where they deserve to be spoken of highly when they do very good things. In our case, the only thing I think is that if you see us as a finished product, finished products in football are very rare because they are never truly finished.”

“We’ve been working for three months. If you take away the preseason, where players were arriving every week, and the nearly three weeks they spent with their national teams, we’ve been working for a month and a half or two months. Far from being a finished product, we are a product in progress. We’re in a phase where the coach is getting to know, analyzing, and defining paths. The players are also getting to know their coach, his way of acting and leading. Comparing a team in this state with a team that has been together for two or three years doesn’t seem fair to me. Then, when we play less well or when the result is negative, criticism is part of it.”

Lamine Yamal
“They are all very good. It’s the same at Madrid. Whether at Madrid or Barcelona, I can’t find a player who isn’t very good; they are all very good. He’s a great player, and great players are respected. Respecting someone is one thing; changing plans, structures, and forgetting your own essence is another. We won’t do that with him or any other high-quality opponent.”

Flick
“I don’t understand why you ask me questions about our opponents. What do you want me to say about Flick? He’s a great coach, doing an excellent job, and that’s it. I can’t say anything more.”

Returning to Camp Nou
“It’s just like going to any other stadium. Obviously, we are talking about a team with a lot of quality. It’s not the same to play against a high-quality team as it is to play against a less strong one, but it’s no big deal.”

Is growing a beard some kind of superstition?
“No, not at all. I must be one of the few in football, but not at all. Why? Does it look horrible? If you say it looks horrible, I’ll think about it (laughs). Surely, I’m one of the few who has nothing to do with superstitions.”

Do you have the starting lineup decided?
“Of course.”

Fermín's statements
“What can I say? Many things that keep happening tire us, and Fermín gets tired of our discourse. That’s how it is.”

Do you have a game plan?
“Yes, but I’m not going to answer that. It’s better to ask another question. You can ask another because, about game plans, who will play, how we’ll structure ourselves, or in which direction we’ll try to take the match, these are questions I won’t answer. I’m honest; I could sit here spinning in circles without saying anything.”

What is Barcelona’s weak point?
“You’re smart, but I’m not stupid.”

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