Mourinho: "I really liked the team’s composure in the face of difficulty"

José Mourinho appeared in the press room at the Bernabéu and analyzed the victory over Real Sociedad in the first matchday of La Liga: “The first half was difficult for us, in the sense that we weren’t clicking with our pressing, and Real Sociedad didn’t create or have many scoring opportunities. I think their goal was the only shot on target they had in the first half, but they were very well-organized. They are a team with a very good coach, large distances between their central defenders, and very hard to press. It was one of those games where I was saying on the bench that I wished there was a water break, it would’ve been perfect. At halftime, we adjusted some things, and then in the second half, we scored four goals, but it could’ve been five or six. That would have been unfair to a Real Sociedad that had a great first half but faced obvious difficulties in the second against a team with players like Kylian, Jude... It’s a lot of football and a lot of quality. In the second half, it was impossible for them.”

His return to the Bernabéu
“The first match at the Bernabéu was calm. I don’t get very nervous or tense before matches anymore. I enjoyed it a lot. The last time I came here with Benfica, I stayed in the garage watching the game. Today is the first time I’ve been in the new Bernabéu. I’m not a fan of them chanting my name. The team is the most important thing, and feeling the support is what matters most to me. I’m very happy with the players’ feelings after playing their first home match, winning well, the fans going home smiling, and tomorrow we train because Málaga is coming on Sunday.”

Mbappé
“I don’t like comparing players, but this guy is incredible. I’m really happy that he made history in the World Cup because there are 25 world champion players, but only one is eternal in football: the player who has the most goals in the World Cup. He’s made that history, but I see him with a lot of hunger to make history with Real Madrid. But despite Kylian having done what he did, it’s hard for me not to talk about the team because it has always been a team effort. In the first half, with the difficulties we faced, the team knew how to wait, stay calm, and be compact. Then, in the second half, it shifted into a higher gear. Maybe the inspiration of training with the noise of cars in Madring made him shift into one or two gears higher. I really liked the second half.”

Help from the forwards in building the play
“In my career, I’ve had the opportunity to coach teams with incredible players, and I’ve also had periods where I coached good players, but not the top of the top. I always say that with these players, you have to teach them to play as a team and teach them very little from an individual perspective. And when the team struggles to build play, Kylian has tremendous quality. He’s not just a goal scorer or the typical forward waiting for the team’s offensive play to score. When he drops back to start the play, then combines with Jude, he’s already facing goal. He has so much quality, and so do all of them. Obviously, Kylian did what he did, but if I go player by player, the center-backs were very dominant, and Bernardo or Fede worked incredibly hard.

Jude created and worked. I liked the second half a lot, but I also liked the calmness in the face of difficulty. We will face many difficulties in many matches, and I liked the team’s response to the challenges. I really liked it.”

Enjoy all the videos from this match on RM Play

The Bernabéu
“We already know the Bernabéu, don’t we? The players know it, I know it. Obviously, for those who just arrived, it’s their first impression, but we already know it. And thankfully, it’s like this because it’s a consequence of the history. The expectations stem from the history. Madrid always has great players, great teams, and people always want more and more and more. And then, obviously, being a fan is one thing, and being a player or coach is another. Fans can and do pay to have their moments of happiness and frustration. We are where we are because we have the ability to stay calm in the face of challenges. Many times, top teams can’t manage this.”

Positive impressions
“The team is learning to grow mentally, emotionally, and as a unit. And I think that, in the end, we achieved what we wanted, which was the three points, and we managed to leave the fans with a sense of what we can do and what we will do many times, which is winning by three, four, five goals. We were struggling to understand the pressure points on the field. When you can’t press, you wait. And we waited compactly while they had more possession. At halftime, we adjusted two or three things, and the game was done. The players finished the job.”

Boos and applause
“The boos and the applause are ultimately fair. The fans were frustrated. When they’re frustrated, a few boos don’t hurt anyone; they help you grow too. But there will be matches where we’ll win with difficulty. Spanish teams play well, have good coaches, good players, and they really like to have the ball. They’re not afraid to play against big teams. In other leagues, teams don’t play against the big clubs; they just defend. Both Espanyol and Real Sociedad tried to play their game and tried to win. That’s something to value as well.”

How do you assess your work?
“I’m not the one who should publicly assess myself. I always give my best, and when you give your best, you’re not obligated to give more. Whether it’s enough or not, that’s for you, the results, or the fans to decide. I’m happy with what we’re doing, with a difficult preseason where some players have had 39 training sessions, and others have had 6 or 7, like Jude, Cucurella, or Diomande. It’s a very atypical preseason, and it’s not easy to make the team grow more than we’re doing. This start to the season is tough, but we’re not doing badly. In the end, we live off points, and for now, it’s six out of six.”

Can Mbappé score 60 goals in a season?
“Kylian is an absolutely incredible player. Then, whether it’s 60 or 50 or 40, I can’t say. I prefer 40 with titles than 60 without titles. I prefer 40 with a lot of work for the team than 60 just playing for himself, as often happens with forwards. I’m very happy with him. From a technical standpoint, there’s obviously nothing to say, but in terms of helping the group grow, taking responsibility, working... He arrived two days early, and two days early in that preseason period can mean something positive. I left him on the field for the full ninety minutes, hoping he might score four goals. When Vini Jr. scored, I immediately decided to take him off.”

What didn’t you like about the match?
“I don’t like players warming up during halftime. I want everyone inside the locker room because the information is for those playing and for those who might play later. My physical trainers already know to have people warming up by the 35th minute, and I had decided to replace Carreras with Cucurella because of the yellow card. Playing with a yellow card for 90 minutes is a risky situation against Kubo, who’s a guy with good one-on-one skills. I liked everything, even the team’s performance during the difficult moments. I liked seeing a team under pressure because the players were prepared for something different. The positioning complicated us, the distance between the center-backs, Oyarzabal dropping back a lot... and we were a bit hesitant on the field. When you have doubts, you need to stay calm because we’ll win the game eventually. I liked everything.”

Vini Jr.'s Substitution

“We speak the same language, which makes joking around easier. I would never have taken Vini Jr. off without the goal and without the positive feeling of playing well in the second half. I substituted him because he also needs to rest a bit, and there’s a match in three days. I thought it would be good for him, especially since last season he occasionally received a few whistles, to feel the affection of the fans.”