José Mourinho addressed the media at Real Madrid's Valdebebas training ground ahead of Sunday's La Liga clash against Sevilla, discussing the latest developments surrounding the club. The press conference covered several key talking points, including Real Madrid's comeback against Roma, Vinícius Júnior's situation, Arda Güler's development, Federico Valverde's role, Endrick's performance, and the club's transfer plans for January. Mourinho also shared his thoughts on squad management, player selection, and the growing debate surrounding his tactical decisions.
Mourinho on the match against Sevilla: "The team is tired, but tomorrow it won’t be. Tomorrow is another day, and we’ll be fine. We also have very good options if we want to make some changes and bring freshness to the team. Sevilla plays very well; at home, they’ve lost some games, but they always compete to win. Luis García is doing a great job. It’s a tough match, no doubt, but we want to win.”
Mourinho on what he expects from his midfielders: “I ask the midfielder to be a midfielder. A midfielder who only defends is just a limited defensive midfielder. The midfield is a very difficult position. To play in midfield, you have to be a top player with great qualities. It’s very hard to be a great midfielder.”
Mourinho on the Tebas comparison: “You’ve already seen what I think. I ask you not to talk about this because there are limits, and a line has been crossed that only has excuses if it’s a clinical case. If it’s not, there’s no justification or excuse. I think madridismo increasingly understands what it’s up against, and as I said before, even for the great prestige that Spanish football has abroad, it’s better that we try to keep this matter here and not let it go outside.”
Mourinho on Arda Güler: “It seems to me that it’s very hard for you to give credit to the work. It seems like the most negative things have an owner and that the positive ones are a consequence of luck, but Arda is a very talented player. We all know that. He’s 21 years old, and fortunately, he’s not a finished project. He’s multifunctional, and I’m very happy.”
Mourinho on Vinícius Júnior: “I want to ask you a question that is even funny. Do the people who follow you have curiosity about what time he arrives at Valdebebas? And about when he leaves too? It’s funny. Vinicius had a very tough match, and as I said after the game, the main culprit for that was Gasperini. He had a very difficult first half, and at the start of the second, Roma’s power to finish down the right flank was gone. What bothered me was the nature of the second goal at a moment when the match was calm. We knew how they jumped to the man in that type of frontal build-up. But it’s okay. I made five changes, not one.”