Mourinho: Vinicius' contract renewal was no surprise, we'll have a great season with this trio

Real Madrid coach José Mourinho appeared in an extensive press conference to discuss tomorrow's match against Espanyol in the second round of La Liga, where he addressed various matters and issues within the team.

The coach spoke about the academy players: "Cistero, Siria, and Rivas will be on the bench against Barcelona. We have a squad that isn't very long, and there are players who will be out for a long time. I prefer to work with a maximum of 22 players, and these players fill the available spots and are working very well with us. I want to motivate the young players and make them understand that the door is open for them. This week it's the turn of these three, and many others will follow. It's something I love to do, and I believe it is appreciated by the club's academy, and it can be a great motivation for the young players."

Regarding the team leaders, Mourinho said: "I am happy with everyone. I believe the leaders also recognize me. They have the ability to observe and analyze and know me well. I don't want them to know me through the words I say, but through what they see and analyze in my work. So far, the leaders have not had to play their role in a difficult moment, and that moment will come. We will see what happens when it arrives. I meet every morning at eight with the coaching staff, and the members of the staff who were here previously say they see a group that has a different level of understanding and empathy."

Regarding Vinicius's contract renewal: "It wasn't a surprise. When they explained it to me, my first question was: Does he want to stay or not? They told me he wants to stay, and that reassured me. I don't want to get into evaluating whether he's among the top ten players in the world or not, but he's one of the best, and the best should be here."

Reflecting on the 13 years he spent away from Real Madrid, he stated: "I am not someone who lives on regrets or nostalgia. I left Portugal 20 years ago and only returned for a few months last year. I am not someone who often longs for the past, nor do I think much about what I left behind. With every title Real Madrid wins, the president calls me to thank me. I always respond: no, that has nothing to do with me."

He continued: "I am happy that my work has left positive things, but the titles belong to Carlo Ancelotti, Zinedine Zidane, the players, and the fans. If you ask me if I feel something towards Roma, Inter, or Chelsea, the answer is yes. I always want these clubs to be well."

Regarding Vinicius and what he wants from him, he said: "What I see is a player who wants to win. He knows exactly what I want from him. I believe he is happy and comfortable with the way we prepare for matches, and he has wanted to win since day one. Before signing the contract, every little conversation ended with the phrase: We will become better, we will win again, and we will be happy. That has always been the foundation."

When asked when it could be said that Real Madrid has become "Mourinho's team," he replied: "Now. It is indeed my team, for better or worse. If we are talking about the perfect team, it will never exist. I believe we need to improve every day. I love teams that work with the same coach for two or three years because you build over time through the accumulation of information and understanding. There is always room for improvement; we have a long way to go, but the competition won't wait for us. We have a points match. When I said that the beautiful things have not come yet, you thought I was talking about the players, but I was talking about the matches."

He added: "We played the friendly matches seriously, and now we are playing for points, and we must give everything we have. Every point we earn brings us closer to Seville."

Regarding the lineup: "I want to keep the door open for competition. We have a large number of matches, and we will play a game every three days. After that, the players go on a three-week break, and when they return, you never know how they will be. We know how we want to build play, apply pressure, and maintain cohesion. We understand how to play against teams that rely on different systems. We are building a tactical culture. When we talk about top players like Trent, Dumfries, Cucurella, and Carreras, you cannot expect one to play 50 matches while another plays only 10. We have great quality."

On how to combine Vinicius, Kylian Mbappe, and Jude Bellingham, he said: "They are amazing players, and great players want to play with other great players. Top-level players feel frustrated when they play with players who are not at the same level. From a tactical standpoint, it can be more difficult. Ancelotti has found the perfect role for Vinicius, Deschamps has found the right system for Kylian, and Tuchel has found it for Jude. It might be harder to find the perfect space for all three together, but I don't like a player doing something because they feel I am forcing them to. They should do it because they are convinced they can do it well. They are players with immense quality, and there are no conflicting positions among them. I have great confidence that we will have a fantastic season with them."

Regarding his choice of Sami Khedira, the continuation of Pintus, and the departure of Lopetegui, Mourinho said: "Entering a new club is always difficult, and it always pains me to say that someone will not continue. I try to change as few people as possible and bring in elements that can help me establish a certain mentality and way of working. I try to bring in people I trust a lot. We work with seven analysts, and I brought in only one. I am very happy that I brought in just one person because the others just needed to adapt to my way of working."

He added: "In terms of sports science, data, and monitoring effort and individual work, I brought in one more person as well. The people here have evolved and adapted to our way of working. Sami Khdeir? At every club, I like having someone from within the club or someone who knows its culture. In my first term, there was Aitor, who later became a world champion. I thought about players from Real Madrid during my previous stint, those who possess the qualities I am looking for. I considered several names, but when I spoke to him for the first time, I liked what I felt. He told me: If I have to come tomorrow, I will come tomorrow. He knows the club's mentality, understands how to deal with players, and is also developing a lot in his work on the pitch."

Regarding his coaching staff, he said: "The others who were with me at Benfica are people I trust. One is more specialized in offensive organization, and the other in defensive organization and set pieces. The departure of Lopes? It was difficult for me. I don't know the person or his work, and perhaps I made a decision I shouldn't have, but this aspect was essential for me, and I wanted someone who had worked with me before. Football today is not like it was ten years ago."

Addressing rumors of his return to Real Madrid before official negotiations, he stated: "Honestly, there was no communication at first, there were a lot of rumors initially, then communication came. In the past, it happened the other way around; first, there would be contact and someone would talk to someone, then rumors and news would emerge. Now, rumors appear first. Every year there was a rumor, and I didn't pay much attention to it. When Real Madrid contacted me, we had already been out of the competition, and the season was in its final stages. At that point, I was asked if I was interested or not, and I believe that happened during my last two matches with Benfica."

In discussing the difference between the current Mourinho and the one from 2013, he said: "It's a good, philosophical, and difficult question. Mourinho today is capable of advising Mourinho from 2013, but Mourinho from 2013 was not able to advise the current Mourinho. Are you the one giving advice to your father, or is your father the one giving advice to you? It’s about experience."

He concluded by saying: "You must always remain calm. For me, it has become easier to stay calm compared to how it was five, ten, or twenty years ago. You might say I still get red cards every season, but I'm not talking about that kind of calm. When you’re hitting 24/7, you get very long hours of football, and during all those hours, you have to keep your cool. Today, I am better."