Real Madrid coach José Mourinho spoke after a 4-1 win over Rayo Vallecano to praise his team, including impressive substitute Arda Güler, as he said: “Arda makes a big impact when he’s on the pitch. I’m 100% certain that if Diomande hadn’t started today, the first question would have been, ‘Why isn’t Diomande playing?’ There’s nothing but quality on the bench. The line-up changes will be made on a match-by-match basis. Arda has a very positive influence on the team’s play. When he came on, he made all the difference
in terms of the stability of our play.”
Mourinho on the difference between the two halves
“I’d describe the match as a 45-minute affair. In 45 minutes, it was over. I knew the team didn’t have the physical and mental strength to play the second half the way they did. The image that sums it all up is how Bellingham played in the last 10 minutes. Practically everyone made mistakes in build-up play, struggled to press, and with shots on goal… I already knew that. I expected it to be like that.”
Mourinho on anything that worries him
“I’m happy because we’ve been together for three months, although we can only really count from when we were all here. What we’re doing has a lot of positives. We’re taking it step by step, always trying to improve.”
Mourinho on pressure to start Yan Diomande
“I’m a bit too old to feel the pressure. In football you can have different squads; sometimes you have to pray that nobody gets injured, other times you’ve got plenty of options. He’ll keep improving bit by bit. He hasn’t been at the top level for long and has a lot to learn tactically. But he’s got incredible potential. In one-on-one situations, with his passing, shooting… He gives us loads of options. He can play where Vini does, on the right; Arda can play there too, or where Bellingham plays. Right now, I want to help him develop.”
Mourinho on Vinícius
“Physically, he’s in better shape than ever. He’s just a millimetre away from reaching his top speed. His ability to sustain effort is immense. It’s a process he’s getting to grips with. Mentally, he’s very strong; he knows Madrid better than anyone. He plays with a great sense of responsibility, that of representing Real Madrid and the Brazilian national team. He’s calm. The goals will come.”
Mourinho on the last substitution
“Simple. I want to win, and I want to win by as many goals as possible. When you’re 3–1 up with five minutes to go, and Rayo have a very powerful full-back capable of creating danger… At that point, I felt it was best to shut the door. For me, the time for fancy footwork and scoring goals was over. Then we scored the fourth, even better.”
