Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho spoke to the media after their win over Barcelona on Sunday. Talking about whether this win could be Real Madrid’s turning point, he said: “This match is one where we went into it three, six, or nine points behind. Obviously, going in nine points is psychologically tough. Going in six points is balanced, even with a direct clash at the Bernabéu. Going in three points is different. Obviously. And the way we won is also different. Because you can win with luck, but
we did it calmly and deservedly. Regarding the choice of Bernardo… I’ve only been here for a little over three months. And although I know him well, that’s one thing, and knowing how he can integrate into the team dynamic is another. The group is very strong. I’ll never say that this is my starting eleven or that this is undisputed, because the squad is very good, complete. The players work very hard. Everyone is prepared. And that’s life. You’ve already asked me two questions, and neither about Lunin, but if we lose here because of his mistakes, the first or second question would be about him. I’ve only told him, ‘You train to play, not to sit on the bench, go and play.’ And he played a very balanced and calm game. We have the The best goalkeeper in the world, but today none of us cried because Thibaut wasn’t playing. The group is strong and very united, even in the most difficult moments. Five wins in a row, and that’s it. Another game on Sunday, with a nice run, because we play away, then away on Wednesday, and then, another gift, away again… on Saturday. But… come on. There’s another name I couldn’t leave out: Valverde played injured for more than 40 minutes. Because he got injured, he wanted to keep going, to continue, to push himself to his limits. And he gave everything while he was on the field.”
Mourinho on the game
“First of all, I think it was a great match. A high-level game. One that the whole football-loving world surely stopped to watch. And they weren’t disappointed, with two teams that played to win. In our case, I’m more concerned with talking about my own team: the lads played an extraordinary match. Very organized, focused, with a lot of character to play out from the back against a pressing opponent. We had chances to make it 2-0. At the start of the second half… that two-on-one with Jude and Kylian… Obviously, Barcelona was going to respond strongly after going behind, but we never lost our composure. It’s a great victory for the lads, against a great opponent. With a referee who had a great game and VAR that was asleep in the 60th minute, on a decision that could have had a huge impact on the match. A clear red card for Cancelo’s tackle on Diomande. But a great match, a great victory. The lads deserve it.”
Mourinho on Eduardo Camavinga
“Camavinga, like everyone else, is a starter. They all train to play. Then it’s the coach who has to decide. Sometimes they want to make changes, they look to the bench, and there are many coaches who suffer because they don’t have solutions, because they aren’t able to implement their ideas. And I have a deep bench. Camavinga played an extraordinary match against Leipzig; today he was on the bench. Flick brought on De Jong, who has incredible stamina, and against a Bernardo who had been training with Pedri for a long time… Well, the game needed fresh legs to keep marking, to launch counter-attacks. And I told Cama that, obviously, it was Tchouameni who was marking him because of his characteristics and yellow card… and he had to attack spaces, something that’s difficult against Barcelona, because many times you attack and you’re offside or the goalkeeper is out of position. If the movement comes from midfield, as Camavinga did, it’s more difficult for them. Things went well. Great game; the team deserved more.”
Mourinho on the game’s difficulty
“It was the most difficult match, against the highest quality opponent, one that had only won in the league. For us, it’s the victory with the most impressive performance.”
Mourinho on improvements since Atletico
“The truth is, we’ve improved a lot in the last few matches, there’s no denying that. But the two wins we’ve had… I don’t want to dwell on the Atlético game, but the Betis game was the away match where we created the most chances. We missed a lot, Espí’s goal was disallowed by a millimeter. It’s not like we were a disaster. The group is doing well, with tremendous camaraderie among everyone. The fans on the sidelines support those on the inside. It’s a great group to work with. And these are the kinds of groups that come together in difficult times. When we lost to Atlético, the next day everyone forgot how we lost. Stay calm, keep going. That’s it. On to the next one. This is a great victory, but when we get back to work… I’m not going to let people get carried away. If we win today and lose at El Sardinero, it’ll be the same story, because Real Madrid doesn’t play to win at the Camp Nou, but to win the league. We have to keep going.”
Mourinho on Marc Cucurella
“We have two top-level left-backs, which allows me to manage their playing time a bit. Carreras played on Wednesday, and that allowed Cucu to be fresh, focused, and thinking only about this match. Obviously, he played against a great player, but he’s his teammate, and he knows him well. I always say that I only understand how good players are when I see them in front of me, when I’m on the touchline. Watching them on TV, I miss something. It’s when they’re ten meters away that I understand the quality of the players. The kid is very good, but he’s also clever. He tried everything to get Cucu a yellow card, but he held his own well, and Diomande very rarely gave Espart or Cancelo an advantage. A great team effort. But Cucu… he was very good against a very good kid.”
Mourinho on the credit for this win
“No, no. It’s for the players. It’s our life, the coach’s life. That’s why, week after week, coaches lose their jobs. But that’s the way it is. And in this case, I’m incredibly happy that it’s like this. The players deserve it. They deserve it. It’s much harder to be on the field and play than on the bench and make decisions. I’m very, very happy for them. For all of them. For Asencio, who had surgery a week ago and wanted to come today, to be here, next to his teammates on the bench.”
Mourinho on tactical changes since Roma
“I have an extraordinary group, with all the players possessing the quality and mentality to play. I’ve learned that in midfield… having a combination of talents gives us more than having two players with similar characteristics. And this is to say that the Bernardo-Güler double pivot… I don’t use it. Or only in desperate situations. But the double pivot like we finished today, Camavinga-Tchouameni, will also only be used in specific moments. I’m liking it. I think the forwards also like this mix, because it gives us balance in defense and more quality when building from the back in the defensive organisation.”
