In recent hours, there has been major controversy surrounding Real Madrid for not holding presentations with fans and the press, but José Mourinho has spoken exclusively to 'El Chiringuito'.
There, he explained many things. For example, how he has changed since leaving the club: "More mature, less emotional and more controlled. As always, learning from mistakes, but never with the feeling of regretting anything (...) As a coach, the more experience you have, the more quality you have."
He also addressed the bruise on his eye: "Poor Lacosta, a Castilla kid, hit me with the ball. I was wearing glasses. But that’s not why I wasn’t called up (laughs)."
After that, Josep Pedrerol asked him about the dressing room he found. This was his reply: "I found a dressing room very eager to win, open to common sense. So far I haven’t had to bring out that aggressive side that is also part of me. Everything I’ve asked of them is based on basic principles. You have to arrive an hour early, have breakfast supervised by a nutritionist, go to the gym... All of this is common sense."
Later, Josep asked him whether it was true that he sleeps in Valdebebas. He replied: "When my children are not here, I’m always in Valdebebas."
After his controversies last season, José Mourinho responded about Mbappé: "Mbappé is incredible, he’s a stratospheric player. For me to judge or analyze what he did last season, which was complicated for everyone, and Arbeloa or Xabi paid the price. Winning or losing is multifactorial. I do not accept blame being placed only on some and blame only on others. A guy who could have come on August 14 and showed up on the 12th... that already tells me something. Then he tells me he wants to play against Schalke in minimum condition, he trains exactly like everyone else in sessions that are not easy... Should Mbappé press more? We have to be a team. Within a team dynamic, players have to be themselves."
On Rodri and signings, he said this: "Does Real Madrid need to sign more players? No. Is the market closed for me? Yes. Do I need Rodri? No. We have solutions and quality... I have players I am capable of improving and I have a great squad already built. Do I think Barcelona signed Rodri to keep him away from Madrid? No, I don’t think so. Did I speak with Rodri? Yes, a couple of times. Real Madrid made him a very good offer, I think the Real Madrid-Manchester City relationship is very good, without negotiating with Manchester City, the club had contacts with Rodri, Rodri had doubts, he hesitated, and what I think happened is that the doubts Rodri had created doubts for me. An extraordinary player and correct with us, but I think Real Madrid is of such a dimension that it cannot have players who think twice about it. You make contact and the player has to tell you: 'When do I have to go?'"
Lastly, he was asked whether Vinicius Junior renewed because of him. Mourinho said: "No. Vinicius is in love with Real Madrid. Vini, where do you want to go? You only really know Real Madrid once you leave. Don’t go, it’s not worth it. The way we’ve grown as a group has also given him an important feeling. It’s a different story." He was also asked about the statements he made during the Prestianni-Vinicius clash: "Prestianni was my player. Twenty more players can come, I will still defend my player. Now Vinicius knows which side I’m on."
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.
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