Mourinho: "In the two critical moments, we knew how to react and show personality"

José Mourinho appeared before the media in the press room at the Allwyn Arena after the victory against AEK Athens on matchday four of the Champions League. Our coach began by evaluating the match: "Very satisfied. We played against a very tough team that performed very well, better than ever. Of all the matches we analyzed, they never came close to the level of performance they showed from the first minute. Very well organized, pressing, compact at the back, and with direct play. Extraordinary game from Jović as the reference. Players with pace and intensity to come from behind."

"They are the reason we didn’t play a perfect match. They played a great game. We, despite the difficulty, were always in the match. In the two critical moments, 1-0 and 2-1, we knew how to react, show personality, and chase the result. The goal in the final minute came with the match wide open and with both teams wanting to win. The team with more individual quality won, where one player produced that fantastic goal.”

Endrick
“It frustrates me for all those who are not playing because everyone deserves to play. The proof that I'm not talking nonsense is how those who normally don't play perform. Today even Militão himself, with whom, yes, we took a bit of a risk starting him after so much time, had a tougher start to get into the intensity and rhythm of the match. Later, he stabilized and played a very good game. Endrick has that ability. I think it's dramatic for a full-back, after playing an hour against someone of quality, to then face Endrick; it’s truly complicated. There are many coaches who must look at me with a lot of healthy envy because, when I have problems, I look at the bench and have so many options. At 2-1, I was going to make three changes, but then we scored the 2-2, and I didn’t make those changes—I made different ones. I have a squad of immense quality, and as long as they want to work solely for the team, forgetting personal situations and being available to give 90 minutes, 1 minute, or zero minutes, the squad is very strong. We have 12 points, I think we are qualified, and now it’s about avoiding the playoff, saving two matches because we have so many... We need to get what remains: seven or eight points. We have to get them.”

Vini Jr.
“Vinícius didn’t provoke anything. Diomande comes to Real Madrid more to be a player who can play on both wings rather than solely on one. Diomande doesn’t care at all. He plays with different characteristics, but being on the right or left doesn’t change anything for him. Vini had a very acceptable match—not an extraordinary one, but the team didn’t have an extraordinary match. The team had a tough, serious game, and Vinícius, in that line, performed very well. Obviously, when it’s time to make changes in a match with an uncertain result, I have to think about the result, but at the same time, I have to think a little about Valencia; taking off Diomande and not Vinícius; taking off Bernardo and not Camavinga, because Tchouameni will play in Valencia. When making some changes, I also considered the match we have on Saturday.”

Has the team regained its confidence?
“We won in the last minute of the first match of the season. It’s not something we’ve only just achieved… Obviously, I prefer to win easily, like in Santander with a 0-3 lead at halftime, but it gives you a fantastic feeling when you win matches at the end. When you win at the end, there’s always a sense of luck, but luck happens when things go against the direction of the match. This match, in the last minutes, only we could win it. At 2-2, I bring on Carlos (Espí) and play with two strikers plus two wide wingers, one on each side. We also have the players to make it happen when we do it. If we do it, it’s because we all feel we can. The players have courage. The people who come on make a great contribution. On the left side, Carreras and Brahim were important in the last 10 minutes of the match. The substitution of Vinícius, who was tired, and Cucurella, with a yellow card, for Brahim and Carreras. Carreras won a couple of corners, and Brahim cut inside and provided an assist. I’m very lucky to have a squad of this quality with players of this caliber.”

Is Bellingham at his best?
“Since I arrived, he has been excellent. He is a unique player; today, there is no midfielder in world football like Jude, who is complete on all levels. I don’t have many words because, for me, he is an absolutely extraordinary player. Even on a day when he doesn’t have a great match, one of those jaw-dropping performances, he still brings work, leadership, ambition, quality, and goal-scoring ability. He is an extraordinary player.”

On Mbappé's penalty in Santander
“To me, it seems like a situation that has no impact on points. It’s a match where, even without that penalty, we would have won by three, four, or five. It’s a match where the feeling was that, if we needed to score more, we would have. In the second half, the team didn’t want more. It’s not like we’re talking about a match like some we’ve had in this League, where things that happened had a decisive influence on the outcome. We’re talking about a ‘soft penalty’; it’s the type of penalty that, for me, the referee gives thinking 100% that it’s a penalty due to the nature of the action. For me, it’s a penalty, but I’ll tell you, if it were given against us, I wouldn’t be happy, and for that reason, you can already see it’s a ‘soft penalty.’ But we’re talking about a match that has no history. What are we talking about? A match where we could have scored five, and we had a penalty that creates some doubt. Be careful because there are matches in this championship where penalties, decisions, and expulsions have a big impact on the result. This one, zero impact.”

Rafael Nadal
“Kudos to Real Madrid and the great Rafa Nadal. He wants it; he’s a great madridista, and obviously, to be part of Real Madrid’s Board of Directors, you need to be a great madridista. Beyond that, Rafa Nadal is Rafa Nadal. As the coach of Real Madrid, I feel a great sense of pride having Rafa Nadal with us. Madridistas will think exactly the same. The only thing I hope, jokingly, is that fans of other clubs who love Rafa Nadal don’t stop loving him because he’s now going to wear the Madrid jersey.”

With Vinícius, should you use a firm hand or a soft hand?
“I would say, trying to imagine a percentage, so far, 80% with the right (soft hand) and 20% with the left (firm hand).”

Demanding schedule
“We changed five players from Sunday to today. From today to Saturday, we’re going to change four or five. Dean (Huijsen), Konaté, Tchouameni, and Arda. It’s very tough to do it with just two days and with away matches. But that’s how it is.”

Atmosphere in the stadium
“The atmosphere was extraordinary, very similar to the Turkish atmospheres I know. The stadium plays a big role, and that’s why Greek teams, when they play away, struggle more to get results compared to those they achieve at home. That’s why they gave us an extraordinary match.”

Endrick
“It frustrates me for all those who are not playing because everyone deserves to play. The proof that I'm not talking nonsense is how those who normally don't play perform. Today even Militão himself, with whom, yes, we took a bit of a risk starting him after so much time, had a tougher start to get into the intensity and rhythm of the match. Later, he stabilized and played a very good game. Endrick has that ability. I think it's dramatic for a full-back, after playing an hour against someone of quality, to then face Endrick; it’s truly complicated. There are many coaches who must look at me with a lot of healthy envy because, when I have problems, I look at the bench and have so many options. At 2-1, I was going to make three changes, but then we scored the 2-2, and I didn’t make those changes—I made different ones. I have a squad of immense quality, and as long as they want to work solely for the team, forgetting personal situations and being available to give 90 minutes, 1 minute, or zero minutes, the squad is very strong. We have 12 points, I think we are qualified, and now it’s about avoiding the playoff, saving two matches because we have so many... We need to get what remains: seven or eight points. We have to get them.”

Vini Jr.
“Vinícius didn’t provoke anything. Diomande comes to Real Madrid more to be a player who can play on both wings rather than solely on one. Diomande doesn’t care at all. He plays with different characteristics, but being on the right or left doesn’t change anything for him. Vini had a very acceptable match—not an extraordinary one, but the team didn’t have an extraordinary match. The team had a tough, serious game, and Vinícius, in that line, performed very well. Obviously, when it’s time to make changes in a match with an uncertain result, I have to think about the result, but at the same time, I have to think a little about Valencia; taking off Diomande and not Vinícius; taking off Bernardo and not Camavinga, because Tchouameni will play in Valencia. When making some changes, I also considered the match we have on Saturday.”

Has the team regained its confidence?
“We won in the last minute of the first match of the season. It’s not something we’ve only just achieved… Obviously, I prefer to win easily, like in Santander with a 0-3 lead at halftime, but it gives you a fantastic feeling when you win matches at the end. When you win at the end, there’s always a sense of luck, but luck happens when things go against the direction of the match. This match, in the last minutes, only we could win it. At 2-2, I bring on Carlos (Espí) and play with two strikers plus two wide wingers, one on each side. We also have the players to make it happen when we do it. If we do it, it’s because we all feel we can. The players have courage. The people who come on make a great contribution. On the left side, Carreras and Brahim were important in the last 10 minutes of the match. The substitution of Vinícius, who was tired, and Cucurella, with a yellow card, for Brahim and Carreras. Carreras won a couple of corners, and Brahim cut inside and provided an assist. I’m very lucky to have a squad of this quality with players of this caliber.”

Is Bellingham at his best?
“Since I arrived, he has been excellent. He is a unique player; today, there is no midfielder in world football like Jude, who is complete on all levels. I don’t have many words because, for me, he is an absolutely extraordinary player. Even on a day when he doesn’t have a great match, one of those jaw-dropping performances, he still brings work, leadership, ambition, quality, and goal-scoring ability. He is an extraordinary player.”

On Mbappé's penalty in Santander
“To me, it seems like a situation that has no impact on points. It’s a match where, even without that penalty, we would have won by three, four, or five. It’s a match where the feeling was that, if we needed to score more, we would have. In the second half, the team didn’t want more. It’s not like we’re talking about a match like some we’ve had in this League, where things that happened had a decisive influence on the outcome. We’re talking about a ‘soft penalty’; it’s the type of penalty that, for me, the referee gives thinking 100% that it’s a penalty due to the nature of the action. For me, it’s a penalty, but I’ll tell you, if it were given against us, I wouldn’t be happy, and for that reason, you can already see it’s a ‘soft penalty.’ But we’re talking about a match that has no history. What are we talking about? A match where we could have scored five, and we had a penalty that creates some doubt. Be careful because there are matches in this championship where penalties, decisions, and expulsions have a big impact on the result. This one, zero impact.”

Rafael Nadal
“Kudos to Real Madrid and the great Rafa Nadal. He wants it; he’s a great madridista, and obviously, to be part of Real Madrid’s Board of Directors, you need to be a great madridista. Beyond that, Rafa Nadal is Rafa Nadal. As the coach of Real Madrid, I feel a great sense of pride having Rafa Nadal with us. Madridistas will think exactly the same. The only thing I hope, jokingly, is that fans of other clubs who love Rafa Nadal don’t stop loving him because he’s now going to wear the Madrid jersey.”

With Vinícius, should you use a firm hand or a soft hand?
“I would say, trying to imagine a percentage, so far, 80% with the right (soft hand) and 20% with the left (firm hand).”

Demanding schedule
“We changed five players from Sunday to today. From today to Saturday, we’re going to change four or five. Dean (Huijsen), Konaté, Tchouameni, and Arda. It’s very tough to do it with just two days and with away matches. But that’s how it is.”

Atmosphere in the stadium
“The atmosphere was extraordinary, very similar to the Turkish atmospheres I know. The stadium plays a big role, and that’s why Greek teams, when they play away, struggle more to get results compared to those they achieve at home. That’s why they gave us an extraordinary match.”

Who would you highlight from AEK?
“Honestly, during a match I don't have time. If I have to choose someone worthy of mention, it’s the coach, because the team played differently than they usually do. They positioned themselves differently. They played with Gaćinović in a different position compared to Varga. They defined well and counterattacked effectively. They were fearless and showed aggression. If I have to praise someone’s work, I would point towards the coach.”

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