Mourinho: "The players give me confidence because of what they do every day"

José Mourinho addressed the media in the press room at the Bernabéu and analyzed the victory against Leipzig on matchday three of the Champions League. The coach began by analyzing Vini Jr.'s performance: “If he is sad, that is a very personal matter. You may have a perception, but I think only he can openly tell you how he feels or doesn't feel. As a coach, I am happy with the match he played. From Vinicius, more is always expected, and that he is individually decisive, but he played a match that I liked. Of the three attackers, he had the greatest responsibility from the defensive balance standpoint. Leipzig's right-back was a player who moved between the lines, and Vinicius closed him down very well. The ball entered the central area only once. Then, offensively, he wasn’t overwhelming, but he was balanced. He didn’t lose possession and had an action where the goalkeeper made a great save.”

“The substitution isn’t the decision of a coach who isn’t happy; it’s the decision of a coach who has a rich bench. With the substitution, I knew I could bring a different speed to the game with players like Yan (Diomande) or Endrick. I knew I had this depth, and you will have to get used to the fact that there will be many times when I substitute a player who isn’t performing badly to bring in someone who offers something different. I understand the question about whether he needs everyone’s support, and I think he does. When it’s away, the whistles are a boost of motivation, but at home, they hurt. As a coach, I am happy with what he has done.”

Valverde’s position
“I am not talking about Sunday’s match. On Saturday, if you ask me the same question, I will not answer it either. It wasn’t an easy match, even though it ended 4-1. The result is more due to the second half than the first, where we could have even conceded first. Fede was solid defensively. He also advanced very well. Our team on the right wing was very cohesive with Arda, Bernardo, and Fede. We created a lot on that side, and Fede had a fantastic match.”

Camavinga’s performance
“He had a great match. Against Sevilla, Arda and Tchouameni worked very well in that area. Today, if things had gone wrong after making some changes, it might have been said that I was thinking about the Clásico, but I had the confidence they give me because of what they do every day. Brahim is another who isn’t starting matches, and every time he is on the field, I like him a lot. We return to the story of meritocracy. I am very happy with the team. The situation with Fede playing as a right-back is something that pains me a bit. Personally, leaving out two right-backs to play Fede hurts, but the players work hard. Tomorrow, those who played will recover, and those who didn’t will train as always, giving it their all.”

Information about the referee for the Clásico
“I don’t think it’s true. Or, if it is true, it’s out of context because the referee is officially announced 24 hours before the match. This is the type of information I don’t like, and I’m not referring to the referee.”

Is the team defensively where you want it to be?
“No one is where I want them to be. I always want to improve. I’ve been here for over a hundred days. Obviously, we are not where I want, but there are things we are doing better today than before. If you compare this victory to those against Rayo Vallecano or Málaga, we are improving. The goal we conceded I didn’t like because I put myself in the goalkeeper’s position. Courtois made two incredible saves that kept the game open for us to win. Just as a striker loves scoring goals, a goalkeeper loves going home with a clean sheet. The goal we conceded today and the one against Sevilla came from being overconfident and from someone thinking the game was already won. I don’t like that.”

Bernardo Silva’s performance
“He’s a great player and had a great match. He’s another player who hadn’t been starting for a few games. When the team has a player like him or Arda in midfield, it has more options, more control, and more speed in transitions. I am very happy. I think in this phase of the Champions, we will need a lot of points to finish among the top eight. In that sense, we need to win as many points as possible. At this moment, we have nine and are very close to qualifying for the playoffs, but we need to win the matches. Bernardo made me forget about Arda, and Camavinga made me forget about Tchouameni. Bernardo is a great player.”

Is Courtois the best goalkeeper you’ve coached?
“I never do that. I’ve never said anything like that about my players. I always try to avoid it when asked to name my best eleven. What I can tell you is that the best goalkeeper in the history of the Premier League, Čech, when Courtois arrived at 19, played, and we won the Premier League. If Julio César hears me say this, he’ll call me in two minutes. I’ve always had this respect for my former players.”

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