Mourinho: "Great match, great victory, and the boys deserve it"
"The group is very strong, with growing empathy among everyone,” our coach stated after the victory in El Clásico.
José Mourinho appeared before the media in the press room at Camp Nou following our team's victory in El Clásico against Barcelona. Our coach stated: "It was a great match, high-level, which surely the world of football lovers stopped to watch and were not disappointed, with two teams playing to win. In our case, it’s more appropriate for me to talk about my players than the others. The boys played an extraordinary game, very organized, very focused, and with a lot of courage to play out from the back against an opponent that presses a lot. We had good chances to make it 0-2 at the end of the first half."
"At the start of the second half, we had a situation with Jude and Kylian, in a two-against-one. Obviously, Barcelona had a strong reaction in the second half, but we always maintained calm and organization. At 1-1, we never lost our composure. For me, this is a great victory for the boys against a great opponent, with a referee who I think had a very good game, and a VAR that was asleep in the 60th minute with a decision that, surely, could have had a big influence on the match, which was a clear red card for Joao (Cancelo) against Diomande. Great match, great victory, and the boys deserve it.”
Is this victory a turning point?
“This match was one where we could leave trailing by three, six, or nine points. Obviously, if you fall behind by nine, psychologically, it’s heavy. If we were behind by six, it would be balanced. Being three points behind is different, and the way we won is also important because you can win with luck and by defending a lot. We won calmly and with full merit.”
Bernardo Silva and Lunin
“Regarding Bernardo, I’ve said that he’s been here for just over three months. Obviously, I know him very well, but knowing him very well is one thing, and seeing how he integrates into the dynamics of a team is another. The group is very strong. I will never say, ‘This is my base team’ or ‘This player is now an undisputed starter.’ I will never say that because the truth is that the squad is very good, complete, and everyone works hard. Everyone is ready to play. That’s life. You’ve already asked me two questions and none about Lunin, but if we lost due to Lunin’s mistakes, surely the first or second question would be about Lunin. The only thing I told Lunin before the match was: 'You train to play, not to sit on the bench. Go and play.' He played a game with great balance and calmness. We have the best goalkeeper in the world, but today none of us cried before the match because Thibaut wasn’t playing. The group is strong, and the players are very united, even in the most difficult moments.”
Upcoming matches
“Now it’s five consecutive victories, and that’s it. The next match will be on Sunday, with a nice series because on Sunday we play away; then we play away on Wednesday, and then we have another away match on Saturday, but let’s go.” Valverde
“There’s another name I didn’t want to leave out, which is Valverde, who played injured for more than 40 minutes. He got injured, wanted to continue, pushed himself to his limits, and gave everything while he was on the field.” Play leading to the second goal
“Eduardo (Camavinga), like everyone, is a starter. Everyone trains to play. Then it’s the coach who has to decide. There are coaches who, when they want to make changes, look at the bench and don’t have solutions. There are many coaches who suffer because they can’t put their ideas onto the field. I have a rich bench, with players who can be starters. Camavinga had an extraordinary game against Leipzig and was on the bench today. Flick brought in De Jong, a player with a powerful engine in his legs and a strong presence, and Bernardo had been working hard in Pedri’s position for 75 minutes. At that moment, the match needed players with fresh legs to continue marking and counterattacking. Given his characteristics and also his yellow card, Camavinga was the choice whenever possible to attack spaces.” “Against Barcelona, it’s often difficult for attackers to exploit spaces, because when attackers go deep, they’re often offside or the goalkeeper is positioned to cover that space. If the movement in depth comes from the second line, as Camavinga did for the goal and as Bellingham did in that two-on-one situation, it’s much harder for the opponent. Things turned out well. He played a great game, and it’s a team victory that was well deserved.” Was this the team’s best match in your second stint?
“It’s also the most difficult match, against the highest-quality opponent. An opponent who came in with only victories in the league. For us, this is the best-earned win. We’ve won by four goals against other teams, but this is Barcelona, and the players played a great game.” Five consecutive victories
“The truth is that we’ve improved a lot in recent matches, there’s no hiding it. But the two defeats we’ve had; the one against Atlético—I don’t want to go back and analyze it—but the one against Betis was the away match where we had the most chances. We missed goals at 0-0, at 1-1, missed a penalty, and Espí’s goal was disallowed by a millimeter. It’s not like we played terribly or the team wasn’t a team or the group wasn’t united.” Group unity
“The group is very strong, internally with zero problems and growing empathy among everyone. Those who are not playing always support those who are. It’s a truly beautiful group. Beautiful groups are those that stay united in tough times. When we lost against Atlético, a day later everyone forgot how we lost. The only thing that mattered was that we lost. People are united, calm, work hard, and prepare. As I say: let’s go for the next one. This is a great victory, but when we return to work, I won’t let people have their heads in the clouds. If we win today and lose at El Sardinero, today’s victory doesn’t hold the same weight, because Real Madrid doesn’t play to win at Camp Nou. Real Madrid plays to win championships. We have to keep going.” Cucurella
“We have two high-level left-backs, which also allows me to manage things a bit. Álvaro (Carreras) played the last match on Wednesday, which allowed Cucu to be fresh, focused, and thinking only about this match. He played against a great player, but it’s his teammate, whom he knows well. He did a great job. I only truly understand how good players are when I see them up close; when I’m playing the match and standing on the sideline watching them. On TV, I miss something. Seeing them there, ten meters away, is when I understand the quality of the players. The boy (Yamal) is very good and tricky because, besides being good, he’s smart. He tried everything to get Cucu a yellow card, but Cucu held his ground very well, with a Diomande who rarely allowed Espart or Cancelo to create superiority situations. A great team effort, but it’s probably the most difficult match Cucu has had, and he performed very well against a very good player.” Was today’s victory due to the players or the coach?
“Because of the players. It’s our life; it’s the life of a coach. That’s why, week after week, there are coaches who lose their jobs. But that’s how it is, and in this case, I’m extremely happy that it’s so. The players deserve it. It’s much harder to be on the field playing than to be on the bench making decisions. I’m very happy for them and everyone; for Asencio, who had surgery a week ago and today wanted to come and be here. He was next to the bench with his teammates. The group is very strong.”
Bernardo Silva and Lunin
“Regarding Bernardo, I’ve said that he’s been here for just over three months. Obviously, I know him very well, but knowing him very well is one thing, and seeing how he integrates into the dynamics of a team is another. The group is very strong. I will never say, ‘This is my base team’ or ‘This player is now an undisputed starter.’ I will never say that because the truth is that the squad is very good, complete, and everyone works hard. Everyone is ready to play. That’s life. You’ve already asked me two questions and none about Lunin, but if we lost due to Lunin’s mistakes, surely the first or second question would be about Lunin. The only thing I told Lunin before the match was: 'You train to play, not to sit on the bench. Go and play.' He played a game with great balance and calmness. We have the best goalkeeper in the world, but today none of us cried before the match because Thibaut wasn’t playing. The group is strong, and the players are very united, even in the most difficult moments.”
Upcoming matches
“Now it’s five consecutive victories, and that’s it. The next match will be on Sunday, with a nice series because on Sunday we play away; then we play away on Wednesday, and then we have another away match on Saturday, but let’s go.” Valverde
“There’s another name I didn’t want to leave out, which is Valverde, who played injured for more than 40 minutes. He got injured, wanted to continue, pushed himself to his limits, and gave everything while he was on the field.” Play leading to the second goal
“Eduardo (Camavinga), like everyone, is a starter. Everyone trains to play. Then it’s the coach who has to decide. There are coaches who, when they want to make changes, look at the bench and don’t have solutions. There are many coaches who suffer because they can’t put their ideas onto the field. I have a rich bench, with players who can be starters. Camavinga had an extraordinary game against Leipzig and was on the bench today. Flick brought in De Jong, a player with a powerful engine in his legs and a strong presence, and Bernardo had been working hard in Pedri’s position for 75 minutes. At that moment, the match needed players with fresh legs to continue marking and counterattacking. Given his characteristics and also his yellow card, Camavinga was the choice whenever possible to attack spaces.” “Against Barcelona, it’s often difficult for attackers to exploit spaces, because when attackers go deep, they’re often offside or the goalkeeper is positioned to cover that space. If the movement in depth comes from the second line, as Camavinga did for the goal and as Bellingham did in that two-on-one situation, it’s much harder for the opponent. Things turned out well. He played a great game, and it’s a team victory that was well deserved.” Was this the team’s best match in your second stint?
“It’s also the most difficult match, against the highest-quality opponent. An opponent who came in with only victories in the league. For us, this is the best-earned win. We’ve won by four goals against other teams, but this is Barcelona, and the players played a great game.” Five consecutive victories
“The truth is that we’ve improved a lot in recent matches, there’s no hiding it. But the two defeats we’ve had; the one against Atlético—I don’t want to go back and analyze it—but the one against Betis was the away match where we had the most chances. We missed goals at 0-0, at 1-1, missed a penalty, and Espí’s goal was disallowed by a millimeter. It’s not like we played terribly or the team wasn’t a team or the group wasn’t united.” Group unity
“The group is very strong, internally with zero problems and growing empathy among everyone. Those who are not playing always support those who are. It’s a truly beautiful group. Beautiful groups are those that stay united in tough times. When we lost against Atlético, a day later everyone forgot how we lost. The only thing that mattered was that we lost. People are united, calm, work hard, and prepare. As I say: let’s go for the next one. This is a great victory, but when we return to work, I won’t let people have their heads in the clouds. If we win today and lose at El Sardinero, today’s victory doesn’t hold the same weight, because Real Madrid doesn’t play to win at Camp Nou. Real Madrid plays to win championships. We have to keep going.” Cucurella
“We have two high-level left-backs, which also allows me to manage things a bit. Álvaro (Carreras) played the last match on Wednesday, which allowed Cucu to be fresh, focused, and thinking only about this match. He played against a great player, but it’s his teammate, whom he knows well. He did a great job. I only truly understand how good players are when I see them up close; when I’m playing the match and standing on the sideline watching them. On TV, I miss something. Seeing them there, ten meters away, is when I understand the quality of the players. The boy (Yamal) is very good and tricky because, besides being good, he’s smart. He tried everything to get Cucu a yellow card, but Cucu held his ground very well, with a Diomande who rarely allowed Espart or Cancelo to create superiority situations. A great team effort, but it’s probably the most difficult match Cucu has had, and he performed very well against a very good player.” Was today’s victory due to the players or the coach?
“Because of the players. It’s our life; it’s the life of a coach. That’s why, week after week, there are coaches who lose their jobs. But that’s how it is, and in this case, I’m extremely happy that it’s so. The players deserve it. It’s much harder to be on the field playing than to be on the bench making decisions. I’m very happy for them and everyone; for Asencio, who had surgery a week ago and today wanted to come and be here. He was next to the bench with his teammates. The group is very strong.” Lessons from the results of the past two weeks
“I’ve learned that I have an extraordinary group, with all the players possessing the quality and mentality to play. I’ve learned that in midfield, having a combination of talents gives us more than having two players with similar characteristics. This means that the double pivot, Bernardo with Güler, is something I avoid or only use in desperate situations. The double pivot with which we finished today, Camavinga and Tchouameni, is also something I use only in specific moments of a match. I like it, and I think the players up front, as well as those in the back to build better, benefit from it. I also prefer this combination of talents because it gives us balance when defending and more quality when transitioning into offensive organization.”