Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho will face the biggest test of his second stint as Real Madrid tomorrow when his team faces off against Atletico Madrid in the Madrileno derby at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano. Los Blancos go into the match on the back of a hard-fought 3-2 win over Elche, making it six in seven for the season across all competitions. However, Atletico, after a stuttering start, seem to have found their footing and have picked up two convincing victories over Real Sociedad and Osasuna in their last two fixtures. As such, it will be a daunting challenge for Mourinho & co., even more so considering that Real Madrid have not fared very well away at the Metropolitano in recent years.
That was one of the questions Mourinho was asked during his press conference today, with the Portuguese tactician playing down any concerns about Real Madrid’s recent ordinary record at their local rivals’ home.
“I don’t know if I’ll be able to get the team to perform at 100%, but that’s my intention and the intention of my players. But I don’t know if I’ll succeed. We’ve played a lot of matches in a row, but we’ve managed to correct some things; it’s a process,” he said.
If there are clubs that train for three, four, or five days straight… if everyone’s always talking about improvement, imagine us, who in these few months have already played seven or eight official matches.
“We have to improve. But we also have to get results. And we’re working on it. We have a lot of confidence, but we also know we have to keep working.”
A derby always has something more. Derbies are history, culture, the passion of the fans, players, coaches… of some who quickly understand what it means. But then, it's a three-point game. On what
Mutual Respect Between Rivals and Assessment of Atletico’s Squad
When asked about his thoughts on Atleti’s squad and how it stacked up in comparison to his Real Madrid roster, Mourinho said: I don't want to compare squads. Don't ask me to compare Oblak and Courtois. What I'm saying is: a strong squad, with many options, a great coach, someone who chooses players he likes, players who embody his style, his DNA.
Jose Mourinho says he is not pessimistic about Real Madrid’s chances in Sunday’s Madrid derby and believes Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid squad has the quality to compete for the La Liga title. Real Madrid face Atletico Madrid at the Metropolitano in the seventh round of the league season, but Mourinho rejected comparisons between the two teams’ line-ups.
“Many years of work. It’s a team I look at and believe will be there, fighting for the championship at the end.”
Talking about his opposite number, Diego Simeone, Mourinho dismissed his past comments against the Argentine tactician’s failure to win a Champions League trophy, stating that much was said in the heat of the battle.
“So much nonsense is said in a race… if you’re behind, there isn’t one of us who isn’t talking nonsense. Or things influenced by the moment… or strategically,” he said.
“They called me to speak in Simeone’s documentary and I didn’t hesitate for a minute. We’re rivals, but we’re comrades in arms.”
Mourinho also discussed his relationship with Simeone, recalling that both men had made comments they might later regret during their careers. As for Simeone’s opinion, many silly things are said throughout your career,
he said. If you look back, you will not find one of us who has not said silly things.
He was referring to a comment he made during a Champions League meeting with Simeone several years ago. In the end, either you respect someone or you do not,
Mourinho added. When they contacted me to ask whether I could talk about Simeone in his documentary, I did not think about it for a single minute. He knows what I feel and what I think. We are competitors again, but we are comrades in battle.
Squad Management, International Breaks, and Vinicius Jr.
The Real Madrid manager was then asked if tomorrow’s game would be particularly important for Vinicius Jr., who has not been at his best so far this season. But Mourinho downplayed that notion, instead stating that the match was important for each player.
For everyone. I don't know… maybe those who have been at Real Madrid longer and have lived through that negative history feel something more. But I don't think so,
he said. I think we're all in this together, aware of the difficulty of the match and what I said before: this is part of the city's culture. But the match is equally important for everyone.
Providing an update on the condition of Aurelien Tchouameni and his thoughts on the Frenchman being left out of the national team squad, Mourinho explained: “I had no influence whatsoever on the decision for him not to go. Zidane and I haven’t spoken. It took me by surprise. But they spoke together and concluded that the best thing for Aurelien was to have time to complete the pre-season period he had missed.”
The manager said the club could only adapt to the international break, with the team facing different return dates before the match against Villarreal. If we have four players remaining for 20 days, one will then arrive three days before the match and another four days before it,
he said.
Mourinho added that El Clasico and the derby were part of football culture and history, but insisted his motivation did not depend on the occasion. The motivation is there every day,
he said. I have always tried to adapt to the qualities of my players.
He cited his former Inter Milan side as an example of a team capable of defending in a low block for long periods, and said Real Madrid must be prepared for similar phases. We need to understand that we will go through such moments,
Mourinho said. We must know how to position ourselves and compete during them.
Mourinho said he believed he had given everything in his role at Real Madrid, while stressing that his responsibilities extended beyond coaching matches. My assessment of myself is that I have given everything I have. I cannot give more,
he said. That does not mean I should not continue giving everything I have at every level. In my case, it is not always about training and playing matches. It is broader than that – building a club, rather than simply training or choosing who plays.
Meanwhile, Julian Alvarez has spoken to Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone for the first time since declaring that he wants to leave the club in order to ‘fulfil his dream’. The Argentina forward, 26, is being tracked by several of Europe’s biggest clubs, including Arsenal, Barcelona and Real Madrid. While representing Argentina at this summer’s World Cup, Alvarez publicly declared his desire to leave Atletico, saying: ‘I try to be an honest person. I spoke with the people at Atletico Madrid, and I think the best thing for everyone is a transfer. I want to fulfill my dream.’
