Mourinho: "It was a victory with soul and also from the bench"

José Mourinho analyzed Real Madrid's victory against Espanyol in the team's league opener at the RCDE Stadium: “I think we deserved to win, but Espanyol didn’t deserve to lose. We played, especially in the second half, with great control and pressure. We took many risks, and I think we deserved to win. But a team like Espanyol, defending as they did, counterattacking dangerously, with players pushing themselves to the limit and being very well-organized, it’s tough for them to go home with nothing. But I repeat, we deserved the victory. When we talk about the defensive system, there’s one thing I cannot overlook: the physical condition of a team. They didn’t have any players at the World Cup and have been working together for a long time, and you can see it in the way they maintain this intensity of play.”

“I didn’t expect Bellingham to be able to play for so long. Some players are still not at their best, and when it comes to pressing the way I like, we’re still missing minutes and kilometers, both in training and in matches. That’s why I value this victory so much because it was a victory with soul and also from the bench. I always say: a frustrated bench doesn’t help at all. A bench with team spirit, when you have the quality that we have, can help you win. It was a tough match and very important points for us.”

Vini Jr.
“I run the risk of you going back months and pulling out my words when I was an opponent of Vini Jr. Now Vini Jr. is mine. Vini Jr. is not a saint, but what they do to him is too much. It starts from the first minute. I think it’s something that has a pattern, something that repeats from opponent to opponent. First I hit him, now you hit him; then I hit him, then you hit him. If I get a yellow card, then you hit him. I come off with a yellow card, someone without a yellow card comes on and hits him. It’s frustrating for him. He needs to have great emotional control. I spoke to him at halftime, and I even told him in detail: ‘If you score a goal, be careful how you celebrate it so I can keep you on the field.’ It’s tough. We’re in a social era of anti-bullying. With Vini Jr., we’re still in the bullying era, whether it’s from opponents or the crowd. We need to educate him as much as possible and prepare him as much as possible. And that’s it.”

Importance of Bellingham, Mbappé, and Vini Jr.
“When we talk about the best players in the world, Madrid has many in this group. Obviously, those three you mentioned are incredible players who have recently had an impactful World Cup. Mbappé is the top scorer in World Cup history, but Vini Jr. had a great World Cup, and Bellingham too. I had some doubts about starting him or bringing him on later. I don’t know if I made the right call starting him or should have waited, but physically and mentally, he’s very strong. What I expect from Bellingham, and for me, this is his position, is that connection with the attackers. He’s a player who can score and needs to play in a position close to goal. He can play as a ‘6’ or an ‘8,’ but if he plays there, we lose his proximity to the goal. I like that Bellingham who, in top physical condition, can give you 90 minutes of work, quality, and scoring opportunities. Today we started with Bernardo and Valverde behind. Bernardo has that organizational ability. We lose a little bit of Valverde's offensive projection. That shot he took off the post, if it hadn’t touched, it would’ve gone in. Valverde, if he plays with Tchouameni or Camavinga, can reach that position more often. We’re all getting to know each other, and it’s better to do so without losing points.”

Carlos Espí
“He’s a very fun kid. We live together there in Valdebebas: we have breakfast together, lunch together, dinner together… Me, my staff, him, and Cucurella. A fun group. Imagine tomorrow is his presentation—what a way to be presented with the president and his family. What a way to be presented. The kid is living a dream, but he doesn’t work like someone who’s on cloud nine. He works very hard for the team. The goal, obviously, is what decides everything, but he also had a ball with his back to goal that he laid off for Mbappé. He’s an excellent player. When we felt that Gonzalo might go to Fulham, Juni Calafat put some names on the table, and we talked about profiles. We analyzed it well and are very happy. He’s a very young kid with the kind of profile we need for this type of match.”

Enjoy all the videos of this match on RM Play

Manolo González’s words about the referee
“I’m not saying anything because we won. I think the referee had a great game, but from the bench. Later, maybe I’ll see it in the office tomorrow and change my opinion, but my opinion is that he did a fantastic job. There was nothing where the stadium had to stop and wait for the VAR decision. Nothing important with VAR, nothing in the area that could decide a match or a victory. Absolutely nothing. I don’t agree with him, but I respect his opinion.”

Managing starters and substitutes
“The difficult thing is that you start the match with eleven and have twelve on the bench. We have some injured players because if we didn’t, we’d have to leave some at home. This is something I’ve told the players that I cannot fix. I can’t perform the miracle of starting a match with 14 or 15 players. They are the ones who have to fight against the frustration of not starting a match or not playing. They are the ones who have to understand that I feel torn about leaving people out. And if they don’t work or lose motivation, it’s very easy for me to leave people out. The five players who came on today, I felt they came on to help, with a good feeling. And it has to be that way. I’ve said from day one that not even in friendlies can Madrid afford not to fight to win. We are going to lose matches—I hope not many—but Madrid has to play four competitions seriously, and we can’t do it with ten, eleven, twelve, or fifteen players. We need this squad. That’s what I expect from them: professionalism and a willingness to work for the team. It has to come from them.”

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