José Mourinho played down the idea that the match against FC Barcelona would be a trial by fire ahead of El Clásico. “It isn’t. Madrid with Mourinho wins trophies,” the coach replied at a press conference.
The Real Madrid coach said Barça’s defeat in Paris “tells me nothing” and that his mood would be the same if Madrid had lost 4-1 to Leipzig rather than won 4-1.
He added that what happened in previous Clásicos and derbies “doesn’t mean much” and that Madrid are heading into the game in good shape and scoring goals.
A Madrid side still taking shape
Mourinho rejected the idea that his team is “a finished product” and described it as a project in its early stages. Excluding preseason and the international break, he said he had only had a month and a half of actual work with the players, who are still getting to know him, so comparing Madrid with a more established team “doesn’t seem fair to me”.
"Far from being a finished product, it’s a product in its initial stages, where we’re at an early stage and the coach is getting to know it, analysing it...", the coach stressed.
On the referee for El Clásico
"The referee’s name never bothers me; I always start from the assumption that he’s good. What bothers me a little is when the rules are broken. So far, according to internal information, they haven’t been. Several referees’ names have come up. Nobody has told me, 'This is the referee.' Whoever it is, I hope it goes well for him," Mourinho reflected.
On Lamine Yamal, the coach said that “they’re all very good” and that respecting the opposition is one thing, but “changing your plans or forgetting your identity” is another—something he will not do for him or anyone else. On the referee, he said he always assumes he is good and that, according to internal information, no rules have been broken. He also confirmed that he has decided on his starting eleven.
Asked about comments from Fermín, who said he was tired of complaints about the Negreira case, Mourinho replied: “Maybe so. We’re tired of other things that keep happening.” El Clásico takes place tomorrow, a match that the coach described as “unique” because “the world stops to watch it”.
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.