Mourinho explains Real Madrid’s change and criticises the schedule

José Mourinho pointed to Real Madrid’s unity to explain the change at the club, while taking aim at the Liga schedule. He nevertheless praised the group’s spirit and gave them the credit for the run of consecutive victories.

“All the credit belongs to the players. They did this, and they are united,” Mourinho said. He also described the team as cohesive and expressed optimism about what lies ahead: “From my experience, I can say that I have a good feeling about this team, I have a good feeling about Real Madrid.”

His criticism of the schedule included a comparison with Barcelona’s and Atlético de Madrid’s upcoming fixtures. Both teams had played on Tuesday and were due to play again on Sunday, while Real Madrid’s players had to sleep at the Valdebebas training centre after returning from Athens. Mourinho also objected to the sequence of match days: “playing on Sunday, then Wednesday, then Saturday”. He called the arrangement senseless and asked that his team not be put in those conditions again.

Asked what he would say to Javier Tebas, president of the Liga, Mourinho replied ironically: “No, I have no message, I must remain humble, they have all the power.” He then added: “I ask you to leave us alone.”

The coach also discussed the atmosphere in the stands after the match at Mestalla. He said Valencia supporters reacted to refereeing decisions and actively influenced the game, unlike, in his view, the crowd at the Santiago Bernabéu, who watch more calmly. After the win, the players celebrated with music, but their choices did not impress their coach: Mourinho called the music bad and loud, then described it as awful.

At the heart of Mourinho’s comments was the link between Real Madrid’s change and the group’s cohesion, alongside concern about the pace of the fixtures. He summed up his view of the team by saying: “This moment tells you everything about how united this team is.”