Mourinho: I'm still at the beginning of my work, and Vinícius has my support

José Mourinho, the manager of Real Madrid, spoke after the 2-1 victory over Inter Milan in the UEFA Champions League, addressing the boos directed at Vinícius Júnior. He also discussed the team's performance and the brilliance of Thibaut Courtois, alongside Trent Alexander-Arnold's experience in midfield.

Regarding the boos directed at Vinicius, Mourinho said: "I do not criticize the fans, I speak as a coach. Vinicius deserves all my respect. He is not at his best, and that is something we all see, but he knows it, and he is the first to know it. He is working to become the Vinicius who decides matches again."

He added: "Since he is not at his best, he is working harder than ever. In the few times he has not been able to come back and hold on, it has been due to fatigue. I have great respect for Vinícius, and the player who decides matches for us will come back again."

Reflecting on the match, Mourinho said: "In summary, the match could have ended 6-6 or something like that. We had chances to score more. The match was crazy, and I don't like this kind of match. I prefer to score five, six, or seven goals, but with absolute control and not needing a goalkeeper to put in a stunning performance like Courtois did."

He continued: "It's difficult to play Arnold in midfield, and I thank him for his work, but his attributes are not ideal for this position. I wanted to make the changes earlier, but if you look at the chances, they came due to mistakes in defensive sharpness. However, when we were solid, we were very good."

Mourinho praised Valverde, saying: "Valverde understood the tactical structure well. I cannot separate my words from the fact that we played against a great team, which has many options. It was a very difficult match, and these are three very important points. There are three points left to qualify, and I am sure we will achieve that, but getting these points from the first match is important."

Regarding the fans' anger at the team's performance, Mourinho simply stated: "Fans' opinions are important, and that's all."

When asked about the boos directed at Kylian Mbappé, he responded: "I do not comment on the reactions of the fans. I will not do that today, and I will not do it until the last moment I am here. When he left, I kissed him, and for me, that means respecting the work he has done with the team."

Regarding his ongoing support for Vinícius, Mourinho explained: "If he is working for the team, he will always have my support. This does not mean he must always play as a starter or for 90 minutes, but he will always have my respect and affection if he plays for the team. Against a team that plays with three defenders and two center-backs with attacking full-backs, it is very difficult for the wingers. Brahim Díaz did very well from the inside and was extremely useful for the team."

He continued: "Certainly, in some of those attacks, if Vinícius had been at his best, he would have decided the match. Just like he did against me with Benfica, when he broke through in a one-on-one situation and finished the game. Those who give everything are not asked to give more. And he did that."

Regarding the decision to deploy Trent Alexander-Arnold in midfield, Mourinho said: "He played very well and understood tactically what he had to do. The positions of Curtis Jones and Barella required this level of work. He lost some balls because the play and space in front of you are different when you play in midfield, but it is mainly about sharpness; the nature of this position in terms of sharpness is completely different. It needs a different engine, but he gave everything he had."

Regarding the inclusion of Tchouaméni: "I thank Tchouaméni for not training even once with the team, as the last ball he touched was in the FIFA World Cup. What you saw yesterday was for deception, and I appreciate his effort."

Regarding the impact of Inter's goal and the reaction of the Bernabéu crowd, Mourinho refused to go into details, saying: "You are asking a lot of questions about the stadium, and I will not comment on that. Two days ago we thrashed Betis, we missed many chances and suffered, and there were 70,000 extra fans. With all due respect, it is a big club, you love this kind of questions, to see if I will say that I am angry with the fans. We have three points, and that is all, and we move on."

Speaking about his opinion on Inter, Mourinho said: "They are clearly the best team in Italy. I only see AS Roma having the ability to get close to them and perhaps do something extraordinary. Inter haven't had their coach Kivu for long, but that doesn't stop them from achieving great things. I also haven't been here long. This is just the beginning of my work, and we still have a lot ahead of us."