Ahead of Real Madrid’s Champions League fixture against RV Leipzig on Wednesday, coach José Mourinho spoke to the media and addressed a question on the best positions of Fede Valverde and Arda Güler, saying: “The best position for them is on the pitch. Obviously, they are different players, different ages, different experiences, different qualities, but both have this ability to be versatile, to adapt to different positions. There are players who either play here or don’t play at all. That’s my view, and that’s that. And some are genuine specialists in a particular position. Others aren’t; there are others who can play in different positions. Every match is a match in its own right, every team is a team in its own right, every team is a jigsaw puzzle you’re trying to put together. Often, the combination of right-back and right winger isn’t something you can simply choose. This one and that one, without considering what the two of them can do together. The same goes for the other flank, the same for midfield. For example, the other day we played, as you know, with a different midfield set-up, with one player who is more defensive, more positional, and another who is more creative, with more freedom. There have been matches where we’ve effectively played with two more positional players. In Rome, in the last 20 minutes, we played with two players who were practically free to roam. It depends on the situation. I try to put together the best possible combination to give the team balance and, at the same time, always improve its quality. I still feel that if we’d played in Rome with Bernardo Silva and Arda Güler from the first minute, I reckon they’d have scored five against us because we wouldn’t have had the capacity to hold our own against a very strong, intense side that comes out all guns blazing from the very first minute. There’s a time and place for everything. I try to do things right, at the right time. Sometimes I’ll be right, other times I won’t.”
Mourinho on RB Leipzig
“Leipzig aren’t the team that suffered a heavy defeat in Munich. They’re the team that beat PSV, who have three points and are determined to qualify. That’s Leipzig. We have, it’s true. We’ve won three matches in quick succession. And in the last one, we won whilst playing very well. They put in a very complete performance. But we must keep going. Just because we’ve won three doesn’t mean we’ll win the fourth. We have to play and win.”
Mourinho on referees and VAR
“We’ve got a referee tomorrow who won’t take any nonsense. He’s a referee of the highest calibre and with a formidable character. I can really sense just how good he is and the character he possesses. I don’t think VAR will play a significant role in the match with him in charge. I’m very pleased to have a referee like Kovács for an important match like tomorrow’s.”
Mourinho on whether Real Madrid’s aim is to win the Champions League
“No. It’s far too early. Real Madrid’s objective right now isn’t to win the Champions League. The objective right now is to qualify. Our objective is to qualify. Then, if we reach the points total that secures our qualification, the second objective comes into play, which is to try and avoid the play-off. The play-off that we had to play last season, two matches that are always tense, full of pressure, and which immediately put you in a knockout situation. You’re either through or out. And these are matches that can be avoided. But, looking at the competition, I get the feeling that we’re going to need a lot of points. A huge number of points to avoid the play-offs. We’ll take it step by step. First, reach the 11 or 12 points needed to qualify. And once we’ve achieved that, because we will achieve it, we’ll go all out to finish in the top eight.”
Mourinho on the players spending time at Valdebebas
“Look, I’ve stayed here tonight. Yesterday afternoon I slept; I didn’t work. The hours you spend here don’t necessarily mean you’re working. And perhaps you have to bear in mind that a player might sneak off hidden inside a car and you wouldn’t even know he’d left. But, on the positive side, well, I like it. I like that it’s being said, and besides, it’s true. It’s true that this culture of recovery and taking meticulous care of oneself helps; that’s true. It’s also true that Yan always comes in the afternoon with the fitness coach Iván, who looks after him very well, and that he feels great with that personalised care. But for me, the most important thing is that whilst they’re here, there are other people who need to be here too. There’s an overall work dynamic here. The medical department is on hand, and the sports science team is available. No one stays here without one of my assistant coaches being here as well. I really like this overall work dynamic.”
Mourinho on untouchable players
“Untouchable? I rule that out. I don’t like this concept of an ‘untouchable’ player. What makes a player untouchable isn’t their status, it isn’t the captain’s armband, it isn’t the number of years they’ve been at the club, and it isn’t how much was paid for them. What makes a player untouchable is their performance on the pitch.”
Mourinho on the progress so far
“We’ve still got a long way to go. We’ve been here for three or four months. It’s impossible to be where we want to be. We must always improve, whether individually or collectively. Obviously, the more I get to know the players and the more they get to know me, the greater the technical and tactical understanding, let’s put it that way, we’ll have, and we’re taking it step by step. I understand that the demands of a club like Real Madrid are the highest possible. The fact that I’ve only been here a short while, though I’ve actually been here for three years, makes me perfectly aware of this, but I cannot lose sight of my direction. We cannot lose sight of the fact that there is a great deal of work to be done at various levels. You’re talking about the tactical aspect. The tactical aspect is an accumulation of experiences, an accumulation of work, and an accumulation of the knowledge a manager can gain about his players. As I said at one of my recent press conferences, I’m not a stubborn manager. I’m not the sort of manager who clings to a single idea and lives or dies by it. And that means I’m always open to analysing, understanding things and seeking what’s best for my team. I’m happy with many things, I’m not happy with others, and we must keep working.”
Mourinho on Mbappé and Espí playing together
“Difficult. Difficult. From the start of a match, difficult. For both of them to play in a match where we want to play a 4-4-2, well, yes, but a 4-4-2 with the wingers we have isn’t a 4-4-2, it’s a 4-2-4, and with a 4-2-4 I’ve got my doubts we’d win. Timing is another matter. If you’re playing against a team that’s tired, against a team that no longer breaks out of a deep block, against a team that’s no longer capable of stringing together two or three passes, against a team that no longer cares about building play and is simply focused on breaking it down, well, at that point you can do all sorts of crazy things, as we did in Rome. But you have to read the game. The difference between those who comment or write, with all due respect, and the coaches is the same as the difference between me going there to write or comment. I’m sure you’re all much better at it than I am.”
Mourinho on Spanish referees
“My view is that the president is exactly the same as me. For me, my players are the best in the world, and for him, his referees are the best in the world, and I applaud him for this, because it’s only natural that he defends his referees just as I defend my players. Well done, and it’s absolutely normal that he should do so.”
Mourinho on his first 100 days at Real Madrid
“I think I was well prepared so as not to encounter many surprises, but I wanted to start from scratch; I wanted to see things with my own eyes, I wanted to listen, I wanted to communicate. And in that sense, I can’t speak of any surprises; I can’t say whether I expected things to be better or worse. Basically, I expected exactly what I’ve found. I didn’t come here with the aim of staying for, how many days? 100, right? Not with the aim of staying for 100 or 200 days, or three years or more than three years; I didn’t come here with that aim. I came with the aim of giving my all every day to build a better future. That’s it. Anyone who gives their all isn’t obliged to give any more.”
Mourinho on Yan Diomande and Vinícius
“I said that Vinícius is going to play. I can’t give you any information on that. I can tell you that Vinícius is going to play on the left wing tomorrow. But yes, that’s all I can tell you, that he’s a left winger. That’s the only thing I can confirm. Yan doesn’t know whether he’ll play tomorrow or not, so you’ll just have to wait and see.”