José Mourinho addressed the media on Friday ahead of Real Madrid's LaLiga clash against Valencia, highlighting the difficulty of the fixture, the opposition's need for points and the physical demands on his players following a busy week of competition.
"The team is doing well. We arrived here at 3 a.m. on Friday, but we stayed together. None of the players went home because we wanted to give them a couple of extra hours of sleep. The feedback from the players has been positive. It will be a difficult match, but we're not going to dramatize things. We'll be ready tomorrow," Mourinho said.
Mourinho also addressed Cristiano Ronaldo's departure from the Portuguese national team, insisting that it should be respected while suggesting the forward still has unfinished business in football.
"I don't want to comment on Cristiano Ronaldo's departure from the Portuguese national team. It must be respected, and I respect it. This is not retirement. He hasn't ended his career. Anyone who knows him knows he still has goals he wants to achieve. The only thing I would like is for the day he retires from professional football to be different from yesterday.
"From a manager's perspective, I can't say much because I don't know what's going through his mind. But it's too early to make any comments."
The Real Madrid coach was also full of praise for Federico Valverde, highlighting the midfielder's leadership qualities and the responsibility that comes with wearing the captain's armband.
"I can't compare Valverde to the player he was last season because I didn't know him back then. Since we started working together, I've seen an outstanding, humble young man who is a friend to his teammates.
"He's not one of those players whose voice you hear every day, every second, but he's someone who sets an example for everyone. Being officially named Real Madrid captain has given him a sense of responsibility, and that's exactly how it should be."
Reflecting on his previous experiences at Mestalla, Mourinho described Valencia as a major club and warned that Saturday's encounter would be among the toughest challenges in LaLiga.
"I'm not someone who dwells too much on the past. I've experienced some great moments at Mestalla, but more than Mestalla itself, I see Valencia as a great club.
"I consider tomorrow's match one of the most difficult games in the entire LaLiga season. Valencia have a very difficult manager to face, someone with a very clear philosophy. It will be an extremely tough match for us.
"We shouldn't think about what we've achieved so far. We need to focus on tomorrow. If we want to win, we'll have to be at our very best."
Mourinho confirmed that Konaté and Dean are expected to feature against Valencia, despite the impressive performances of Éder Militão and Antonio Rüdiger in the previous match. He also welcomed the decision to schedule the fixture for Saturday, giving players heading into international duty additional time with their families.
"I'm not thinking about the players' rest. As you've seen, I made some changes for the AEK match. It's easy to understand that Konaté and Dean will play tomorrow, even though Militão and Rüdiger had a good game.
"Thanks to the decision to schedule our match for Saturday, the players who are going away on international duty are happy because they'll have a day with their families. So, thank you for that."
Asked about the upcoming meeting between Atlético Madrid and Barcelona at the Metropolitano, Mourinho admitted he would prefer both teams to drop points.
"I'd like both teams to lose, but it's an easy match to assess because one of them is going to drop points. Honestly, I don't care about the result."
Mourinho was also asked whether LaLiga should suspend the matchday in tribute to Jesús De Miguel. The Portuguese coach said the wishes of De Miguel's family and those closest to him should ultimately determine the nature of any tribute.
"There are some beautiful tributes being planned for Jesús De Miguel, and I think that's significant.
"However, the ideal situation would be to speak with Jesús himself and ask him what he would want. Only his family, friends and teammates can answer that question.
"Would he want football to be suspended, or would he prefer to be remembered through a tribute that brings everyone together? This is something that concerns him and his family. I don't think any of us should decide what should or shouldn't happen.
"The tribute is for Jesús, so those who knew him and understand what he would have wanted should have the final say."
The Real Madrid manager also rejected suggestions that the team might perform better without Vinícius Júnior, insisting that collective interests would always take priority over individual players.
"Do we play worse with Vinícius? For me, the most important thing is the team. I would never deliberately harm the team just to benefit an individual player.
"During the Champions League, people may have considered that possibility, but when Vinícius is available, I'll manage the situation accordingly.
"I want the team to focus on one match at a time, but as a manager, I don't think that way. I have to consider the sequence of upcoming matches. The game against AEK was a match suited to Vinícius, while also giving Güler a chance to rest.
"A manager has to do whatever is best for the team, whether that involves managing individual players, tactical decisions or believing in a player's true potential.
"A bad player will always be a bad player, no matter how much you try to help him. But a very good player, even during his worst moments, always leaves the door open for a return to his best form.
"If Vinícius were an ordinary player, we'd say his performance in Athens was just average. But because he's Vinícius, and people always expect a high level from him, the expectations are different. He's the player who knocked me out of the Champions League last season, and he'll continue working.
"One of the most important things is the friendship and support he has from his teammates. We believe in him completely. But when it comes down to it, the team must always come before any individual player."
Looking ahead to the international break, Mourinho insisted his immediate concern was Valencia rather than the potential impact of players joining their national teams.
"I'm worried about tomorrow's match. Worried, in quotation marks. The difficulty of tomorrow's game is what concerns me.
"I don't see the international break as a problem, as long as national team managers respect the players and manage their playing time properly.
"I'm not concerned at all about a player having the honour of representing his country. My concern is tomorrow's match because our opponents are fresh.
"They aren't worried about whether they'll play well or not. They're focused on winning the game, and that's precisely what makes them so difficult to face."
Mourinho concluded by acknowledging that while his team has shown resilience in coming back from losing positions, improving their starts to matches remains a priority.
"It's better not to have to come from behind in the first place. The best example is the match against Santander.
"Coming back from behind shows some positive qualities, such as team spirit, belief and having a strong bench. But it also has a negative side, and that's something we need to work on.
"We need to find greater consistency in the way we start our matches. There's still a lot of work to do."