Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho spoke to the media after his team’s second successive Champions League comeback, this time against AEK Athens, in a 3-2 win on Wednesday night. He was asked about the way in which these comebacks happen, to which he said: “We won the first game in the last minute. Of course, I prefer to win more comfortably, but these games won in the final minutes… only we can win them. We’re always in the right place when it matters. And if we do it, it’s because we all feel we can.
The players have courage. I’m very lucky to have players of this quality. Very lucky.”
Mourinho on the match
“Yes, very satisfied, obviously. We played against a very difficult team, who played very well, better than ever. From the first minute, they were very compact, playing direct football. An extraordinary match. They were full of energy, with great intensity. They’re the reason we didn’t play a perfect game. They played a great match. And we, despite the difficulty, were always in the game. We knew how to react in the two critical moments. We showed character, even when we were behind. And in the last minute, with the game wide open and both teams wanting to win… the team with more individual quality won.”
Mourinho on Jude Bellingham
“He’s a unique player; there’s no other midfielder in the world like him, so complete in every aspect. I’m at a loss for words, because for me he’s absolutely extraordinary. And even when he’s not having a good day… he always delivers hard work, leadership, ambition, quality, attacking runs, goals… He’s an extraordinary player. I repeat, I’m very lucky to have this squad.”
Mourinho on Vinicius Jr and Yan Diomande
“Vinicius hasn’t caused anything [in terms of forcing Diomande on the right wing]. Diomande came to Real Madrid to be able to play on two wings, not just one. It doesn’t matter to him; it makes absolutely no difference which wing he plays on. He had an acceptable game, not an extraordinary one. But the team didn’t have an extraordinary game either. And Vinicius, in that sense, performed very well. Obviously, when making changes in an open game, I have to think about the result, but also a little bit about Valencia. And to take off Diomande and not Vinicius… or Bernardo and not Camavinga, because Tchouameni will play in Valencia… I thought about these things.”
Mourinho on Kylian Mbappe’s penalty against Racing
“I think it’s a situation that has no consequence in terms of points. It’s a game where, if we hadn’t had this penalty, we would have won by three, four, or five goals. If we needed to score more, we would have. But the team didn’t want to. It’s not like we’re talking about a game like others in this league where decisions had an influence on the match. We’re talking about a ‘little penalty,’ I confess, because it’s the kind where the referee calls it thinking it’s a penalty… thinking about the decision. For me, it’s a penalty, but if he calls it against us, I’m not happy. But we’re talking about a game that’s uneventful. What are we even talking about? We could have scored five and there wouldn’t have been any doubt. Let’s talk about games where decisions have a big impact. In this game, zero.”
Mourinho on his opinion on Real Madrid and Rafael Nadal
Hats off. Hats off to Real Madrid. And hats off to the great Rafa Nadal. I think he’s a true Madridista and, obviously, to be on the Board of Directors, he has to be. But also, Rafa Nadal is Rafa Nadal. As a coach, I feel incredibly proud to have him with us. And every Madridista will think exactly the same. I just hope that fans of other clubs who love Nadal won’t stop loving him because he’s a Real Madrid fan.
Mourinho on how the team is doing physically
“Look, we changed five players between Sunday and today. And between today and Saturday, obviously we’re going to change… I don’t know, four or five. Dean, Konaté, Tchouameni, Arda… Because it’s very hard, very hard to do it in just two days and after having to travel. Obviously it’s very hard. But… that’s it.”
Mourinho on Endrick
“Everyone who isn’t playing deserves to be. And the proof that I’m not talking nonsense is how those who don’t usually play are performing. Militao had a great game; it took him a while to get into a rhythm, but then he settled down. Endrick… It’s tough for a full-back to have to face him after playing an hour against someone of quality. But as I said, there are many coaches who must be very envious, because when I have problems, I look at the bench and I have so many options… I make changes, we’re 2-2, and I make different ones, because I have a squad of very high quality, and as long as they want to work only for the team, forgetting personal situations, the squad is very strong. We have 12 points; I think we’re qualified. And now it’s about avoiding the playoffs and saving two games, because we have so many… And we have to get what’s missing. I don’t know… 7 or 8 points, something like that. We have to get it.”
Mourinho on the atmosphere and AEK
“The atmosphere was extraordinary. These stadiums are a force to be reckoned with, and that’s why they gave us such an extraordinary match. Honestly, I don’t have time to talk about the AEK players during the game, but if I had to single anyone out, it would be the coach, because the team played differently than usual. They positioned themselves differently. They defended well, countered well, and played without fear. If I had to choose anyone, it would be him.”
Mourinho on the ending of the match
“Yes, but we fought for that. And when the score was 2-2, we didn’t accept it. That would always be an acceptable result, because it would have put us in with 10 points, but we wanted more, we took risks, and we got the points that now qualify us for the playoffs. Now it’s about getting the points we need to avoid having to play in the playoffs.”
Mourinho on AEK’s performance
“The usual tendency is to say that the stronger team didn’t start well, wasn’t at their best… But I’m telling you the truth, I saw a fantastic AEK. They played above their usual standard. We’ve analyzed many of AEK’s matches: they played their best game, with great intensity from the first minute, winning their duels, winning the first ball, the second ball, always creating dangerous attacks… Then, at 2-2, we didn’t see a team that settled for a draw, that said, ‘let’s just defend and try to get a point.’ They wanted to win. For me, they played a fantastic game.”
Mourinho on Vinicius Jr
“Well, I think he played a good game. After that, I decided to freshen things up on the left wing with two substitutions. Cucurella had a yellow card and Álvaro [Carreras] was fresh. Álvaro gets forward a lot on the wing and Brahim plays very well centrally. I wanted to bring some fresh legs in there, but Vini played a very decent game in my opinion.”
Mourinho on Fede Valverde needing to shoot more
“Fede has that ability. When he plays right back, it’s more complicated from that position. I didn’t ask him to shoot today. What I told him was that the game was wide open, that it was a game to be played at high speed, and that both teams were already physically tired. And a fresh player like Fede, with his ability to cover ground, I told him to attack spaces and get into dangerous areas.”
