Mourinho: "We are happy, united, and working well"
"We respect our opponent, who is coming off a victory and has shown quality; we need to stay focused," the coach stated.
José Mourinho addressed the media in the press room at the Bernabéu the day before the match against Rayo for the fifth matchday of La Liga, which will be played at our stadium (Saturday, 9:00 pm CEST; Orange and Dazn). The coach explained: “We are happy, united, and working well. Working well also means recovering well. Today we conducted tactical training without much intensity, for a short time, but with great respect for our opponent. They are coming off a victory, and though they didn’t win other matches, they showed their quality and why we must be very focused for tomorrow's match. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Beñat San José because he has said some overly kind words about me. I didn’t deserve so much, and I want to thank him publicly. Tomorrow, I will have the chance to give him a hug.”
“In Portugal, there is a proverb that I don’t know if it exists in Spain: you only throw stones at trees that bear fruit. What has Vini Jr. done here in recent years? How many Champions Leagues has he won, and how many goals has he scored? What has he done here in the last five or six years? He is a tree that bears a lot of fruit, and people throw stones because they want the fruit. They want the best of Vinicius, and the best will come. Against Benfica, he single-handedly decided the tie. That Vinicius will come, but at this moment, he hasn’t been at that level yet. This is a Vini who is working harder than ever. In this era of data, he is very close to his top speed. He broke his record this season in terms of balls recovered and also in the defensive third... He will arrive soon.”
Where should the World Cup final be held?
“One thing is where it should be held, and another is where I would like it to be. Forgive me, but I would like it to be in Lisbon. I'm already happy that a country like ours has any World Cup matches. Then, my answer is not because I am the coach of Real Madrid, I think you know me a little. If you can play in a mythical, historical stadium where some of the best players in history have played, and it is the stadium of the most important club in football history, I think it should be here. Regardless of whether I am the coach of Real Madrid. If I were Benfica's coach, I would say exactly the same thing.”
“It doesn’t surprise me because one of the things I admire greatly about referees is that there is always great solidarity among them. There is significant protection from the institutions. And it’s not just in Spain; it’s in all the countries I’ve been in. It’s very rare and difficult for them to come out and criticize a refereeing situation; they are always very united, and unity makes strength.” Rotations and Diomande
“I don’t want to say who will play and who won’t. If I tell you that Diomande is playing, you know he’s playing, and if I say he isn’t, you also know. I’m not thinking about all three matches right now; I’m thinking about tomorrow’s game. It’s a match we have to win and approach strongly. Obviously, there is room for fresh energy, legs with lots of gas. We worked very hard in Tuesday's game. At this moment, we have a squad with many options.” “If we look at the last match, we recovered Camavinga, Bernardo, and Arda Güler. It’s a group with enough strength to give opportunities to some fresh legs and give some others a bit of rest, which is also important. It’s three games in nine days, but the focus is on how we can win the next game. The important thing is that two or three who didn’t play in the last match can bring a bit more energy to the team.” Boos for his players
“I don’t want to give an opinion or criticize. I’m a coach, nothing more. I’m not anyone to even give an opinion. It makes me sad because I’m very demanding with my players. The other day I read a statement from Huijsen where he said that I’m annoying and always on their backs. It’s somewhat true; I am very demanding. The demand is because you have to give everything you have. I have great respect for a player who makes a mistake or doesn’t have an extraordinary match but gives everything. If he plays with empathy, respects his badge, and fights for a result, he always has my support. That doesn’t mean he will always play, but he has my support.” “If the stadium boos a player, I feel sad for the player, but I don’t want to evaluate or criticize it. From my experience as a coach, not just at Real Madrid, when there is unity between the team and the stadium, it is almost unbeatable. I can say this because I think of the Guinness World Record for home matches in the five major European leagues. I went 6 or 7 years without losing. When there is unity between a team that plays as a team and its stadium, it is unbeatable. But each stadium, at a certain moment, has the right to react and behave as it wishes.” Criticism of Mbappé
“I don’t talk about who criticizes; I use the same proverb as for Vini because he is a tree with plenty of fruit. I can comment on his statements, and he’s right. A player with over 40 goals is never a problem for the team. When there is empathy, friendship, commitment, and respect, imagine that... Then there are things I see and value greatly as a coach. Some people don’t understand, and that’s normal. Some people don’t know football in depth. Others understand football in depth but find it convenient not to talk about good things.” “I’ve seen a team play after the 90th minute with ten players and Mbappé on the left wing, ahead of Cucurella, who was exhausted, with Mbappé also exhausted, defending like an animal and with a very demanding coach who wouldn’t stop shouting and motivating. I value this absolutely incredibly. It’s a joy to see this kind of behavior. There are people who know as much about football as I do, who have also seen it and don’t say it. They say we didn’t defend well and could have conceded three or four goals. But they don’t say we could have scored eight.” “There are Champions League matches that are boring, where teams are afraid, defend a lot, take no risks, end 0-0, and people go home with a bad taste in their mouths. Sometimes you win 1-0 in the 90th minute, and we’re all happy. In this match, they could have scored four against us, yes, but we could have scored eight. Why don’t those who know as much about football as I do say it? Aren’t they happy because we won? Is that the reason? We continue on our path. Players, staff, and I are united within Valdebebas; we’ve suffered and lost together against Betis and life. We have to work for Real Madrid. We continue with this commitment. We’ll do everything possible to make people happy.” Preparing for press conferences
“I don’t watch newspapers, television, or social media, but they are very persistent. When they prepare me to come here, they give me the Bible with everything you’ve talked about in recent days. I don’t want to get into whether it’s unfair because it’s getting into what they’re talking about out there. I’m focused on my work, and so are the players. I’m absolutely calm about the criticism and think it’s not going to change the soul of this team. Then, unity and empathy are a very important plus. But we continue with our focus.” Courtois
“He’s not worried. There’s great empathy; he knows the club loves him, and he loves the club. For a goalkeeper, he’s young, and he has also decided not to participate in the Nations League with his national team this season, which allows him to focus even more on Real Madrid and get some rest during UEFA or FIFA dates.” Situation with Valverde and Tchouameni
“They’ve done everything; I’ve done nothing. The empathy and friendship that exist, working, winning, and losing together. Going to the bench annoyed because no one wants to go, but supporting teammates on the field. The group is fantastic. Regarding their specific situation, if I walked into the locker room without knowing anything, they seem like two great friends to me. When I arrived and Tchouameni came back from the World Cup, I was attentive in case I had to intervene and act as a peace minister, but I’ve done nothing. All the credit goes to the players. They’ve built a group that I like very much.”
Where should the World Cup final be held?
“One thing is where it should be held, and another is where I would like it to be. Forgive me, but I would like it to be in Lisbon. I'm already happy that a country like ours has any World Cup matches. Then, my answer is not because I am the coach of Real Madrid, I think you know me a little. If you can play in a mythical, historical stadium where some of the best players in history have played, and it is the stadium of the most important club in football history, I think it should be here. Regardless of whether I am the coach of Real Madrid. If I were Benfica's coach, I would say exactly the same thing.”
“It doesn’t surprise me because one of the things I admire greatly about referees is that there is always great solidarity among them. There is significant protection from the institutions. And it’s not just in Spain; it’s in all the countries I’ve been in. It’s very rare and difficult for them to come out and criticize a refereeing situation; they are always very united, and unity makes strength.” Rotations and Diomande
“I don’t want to say who will play and who won’t. If I tell you that Diomande is playing, you know he’s playing, and if I say he isn’t, you also know. I’m not thinking about all three matches right now; I’m thinking about tomorrow’s game. It’s a match we have to win and approach strongly. Obviously, there is room for fresh energy, legs with lots of gas. We worked very hard in Tuesday's game. At this moment, we have a squad with many options.” “If we look at the last match, we recovered Camavinga, Bernardo, and Arda Güler. It’s a group with enough strength to give opportunities to some fresh legs and give some others a bit of rest, which is also important. It’s three games in nine days, but the focus is on how we can win the next game. The important thing is that two or three who didn’t play in the last match can bring a bit more energy to the team.” Boos for his players
“I don’t want to give an opinion or criticize. I’m a coach, nothing more. I’m not anyone to even give an opinion. It makes me sad because I’m very demanding with my players. The other day I read a statement from Huijsen where he said that I’m annoying and always on their backs. It’s somewhat true; I am very demanding. The demand is because you have to give everything you have. I have great respect for a player who makes a mistake or doesn’t have an extraordinary match but gives everything. If he plays with empathy, respects his badge, and fights for a result, he always has my support. That doesn’t mean he will always play, but he has my support.” “If the stadium boos a player, I feel sad for the player, but I don’t want to evaluate or criticize it. From my experience as a coach, not just at Real Madrid, when there is unity between the team and the stadium, it is almost unbeatable. I can say this because I think of the Guinness World Record for home matches in the five major European leagues. I went 6 or 7 years without losing. When there is unity between a team that plays as a team and its stadium, it is unbeatable. But each stadium, at a certain moment, has the right to react and behave as it wishes.” Criticism of Mbappé
“I don’t talk about who criticizes; I use the same proverb as for Vini because he is a tree with plenty of fruit. I can comment on his statements, and he’s right. A player with over 40 goals is never a problem for the team. When there is empathy, friendship, commitment, and respect, imagine that... Then there are things I see and value greatly as a coach. Some people don’t understand, and that’s normal. Some people don’t know football in depth. Others understand football in depth but find it convenient not to talk about good things.” “I’ve seen a team play after the 90th minute with ten players and Mbappé on the left wing, ahead of Cucurella, who was exhausted, with Mbappé also exhausted, defending like an animal and with a very demanding coach who wouldn’t stop shouting and motivating. I value this absolutely incredibly. It’s a joy to see this kind of behavior. There are people who know as much about football as I do, who have also seen it and don’t say it. They say we didn’t defend well and could have conceded three or four goals. But they don’t say we could have scored eight.” “There are Champions League matches that are boring, where teams are afraid, defend a lot, take no risks, end 0-0, and people go home with a bad taste in their mouths. Sometimes you win 1-0 in the 90th minute, and we’re all happy. In this match, they could have scored four against us, yes, but we could have scored eight. Why don’t those who know as much about football as I do say it? Aren’t they happy because we won? Is that the reason? We continue on our path. Players, staff, and I are united within Valdebebas; we’ve suffered and lost together against Betis and life. We have to work for Real Madrid. We continue with this commitment. We’ll do everything possible to make people happy.” Preparing for press conferences
“I don’t watch newspapers, television, or social media, but they are very persistent. When they prepare me to come here, they give me the Bible with everything you’ve talked about in recent days. I don’t want to get into whether it’s unfair because it’s getting into what they’re talking about out there. I’m focused on my work, and so are the players. I’m absolutely calm about the criticism and think it’s not going to change the soul of this team. Then, unity and empathy are a very important plus. But we continue with our focus.” Courtois
“He’s not worried. There’s great empathy; he knows the club loves him, and he loves the club. For a goalkeeper, he’s young, and he has also decided not to participate in the Nations League with his national team this season, which allows him to focus even more on Real Madrid and get some rest during UEFA or FIFA dates.” Situation with Valverde and Tchouameni
“They’ve done everything; I’ve done nothing. The empathy and friendship that exist, working, winning, and losing together. Going to the bench annoyed because no one wants to go, but supporting teammates on the field. The group is fantastic. Regarding their specific situation, if I walked into the locker room without knowing anything, they seem like two great friends to me. When I arrived and Tchouameni came back from the World Cup, I was attentive in case I had to intervene and act as a peace minister, but I’ve done nothing. All the credit goes to the players. They’ve built a group that I like very much.” Has Formula 1 disrupted your plans?
“Normally, when I don't sleep in Valdebebas, I leave at 7:15 am. Today I left at 6:30 am. I lost 45 minutes of sleep, and some players experienced the same. Those who live nearby, nothing. We haven’t changed anything in training because of you being here. For the first 15 minutes, we did nothing (laughs), and then we worked well for 45 minutes, at low intensity, but focusing on things we tactically needed to do. Tomorrow, we’ve given two options. One is to go directly to Valdebebas, and the other is to come to the stadium, leave the cars here, and have a normal day. I’m very good friends with Domenicali from my early years in Italy, and I have an entry. But I’m that type of person who, if I don’t win, there’s no life. If I’m happy, maybe I’ll stop by.” Racing team that reminds you of Real Madrid
“You have to be careful because they’re all very nice to me, all of them invite me here and there. This global impact of a club or a racing team that goes beyond being just a club or a team... The reds will always be the reds. What this kid is doing with Mercedes is absolutely incredible. But not having a car to win and to score points… I also have my staff with Fernando; I really like his personality. He’s a guy who’s one of the best. They always give him a car that’s not good. I like it a lot as a sport.”
Disclaimer: Translation generated by artificial intelligence. It may contain inaccuracies.