José Mourinho has rediscovered his old self. It’s his old trick—playing mind games—on the “Special One,” who apparently played mind games with Javier Aguirre during the Valencia–Real Madrid match, as suggested by the Portuguese coach’s comments.
At the press conference, the 63-year-old coach said of the 3-0 victory over Valencia: “It’s their achievement, purely theirs. The success belongs to them, the players. I can’t pinpoint anything specific in my own work that was the key to this performance. I’m simply doing my job, as always, and they’re responding in an impressive way, both individually and as a team. There has been a huge improvement, although I believe the fact that we had possession of the ball for a long time today also played a role. It’s worth noting, however, that every time we lost the ball, our reaction was excellent. To address what you mentioned: there was a play in front of my bench in the second half where we lost the ball, Arda Güler was out of position, and Kylian Mbappé sprinted to cover the space on the right side. It’s a good example, though it’s just one of many. The players show great solidarity; they’re very united, and based on my experience, this team looks very promising.”
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He then spoke about Real Madrid’s demanding schedule: “I have to be humble, since they’re the ones holding the power, and ask that they not do the same to us. I don’t mean that superhuman abilities are required—it’s achievable, but extremely difficult. If they want to play the way they’re used to playing against other teams, they should give us a breather after this marathon of travel and matches—from Sunday through Saturday—which was truly excessive. I’ll be honest with you—I’m worried, because if we had the players available to us right now, we’d have to focus heavily on their recovery. But they’re leaving to join their national teams. I’ve never coached a national team, but I imagine the coaches there want to get to work. However, these players aren’t in a position to train right now; they need rest so that they can later play for their national teams. Special care is therefore required during their recovery process.”
Regarding Real Madrid’s winning streak: “What this shows me is that we have to win the next game, because in this life, people forget even the most impressive statistics—even if they really matter—and we don’t live based on past statistics. We live in the present, and we have to win the next match. However, I had no idea about this, and of course it makes us proud, as the Spanish league has produced so many top coaches throughout its history. Being among such figures is an honor, but, as I mentioned earlier, the next game is the most important.”
When asked what he said to Aguirre about the tension at halftime and whether he was ahead: “No, no, I left right away. My friend Aguirre was with me. I’m happy to tell you what I said to Aguirre after the match: ‘Don’t worry, my players are much better than yours.’ That’s the truth. Agirre isn’t the problem—he’s a wonderful coach with a wealth of experience—but the fact is that Real’s players are very good. Coaches who have players like mine are closer to victory.”
*photo source: AP
