Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho spoke to the media on Thursday ahead of Friday night’s match against Real Betis, and was asked about defender Raul Asensio, who was convicted of drink driving. He said: “I spoke to him when I arrived. I did that because of things that happened in the past. Since I arrived, I haven’t spoken to him anymore. I don’t discuss situations outside Valdebebas anymore. Because inside, he was a true professional. When he was healthy, no one trained harder or more.” “Now he is better than him, and he is the first to arrive and the last to leave. But a Real Madrid player is a Real Madrid player 24 hours a day. What you do off the field can harm your reputation and the reputation of the club.”
Mourinho talks about what he expects from his team against Betis
“The performance has to be great. Otherwise they won’t win. Betis is a very good team, and given Real Madrid’s recent results there… it’s difficult to win there. To do that, you have to be at your best. There is no other way.”
Mourinho talks about Messi’s departure from the Argentine national team
“Talking about Messi is complicated! There is not much to say. There are no words that can describe his quality as a player. He played in the World Cup at the age of 38 or 39, which is exactly what we saw. He is one of those players that you will miss. We will have to watch some MLS matches, which I don’t do very often, to get the most out of these last years. Because he is one of those players who, like me, you will always miss and he is one of the greats of our generation,” he said in a previous press conference.
Mourinho talks about La Fabrica players
“Many of them train with me from time to time, but even those who don’t come, we pay close attention to them. They have done a great job in recent years, and the result is that they have reached the first team… Thiago… and the many millions that Real Madrid have earned from transfers that are not actually transfers, because in the end, Real Madrid brings players back whenever they want to. As the season develops, with suspensions and injuries… opportunities will always arise. I get to know them better, we are in daily contact with Manu and La Fabrica and all the children can That… I wouldn’t pick everyone, but they can aspire to get into the first team.
Mourinho on Sergio Martinez
“He will be on the bench tomorrow. From that, you can get a rough idea of the plan. He only trained with the first team for a few days, but the club signed him – knowing that he would not be a first-team player right away – because we analyzed him and saw that he is a young player with potential. He already had a little experience in La Liga and the Primera Division. He has potential; he needs to work hard. The level of strength here is different but he is here. Tomorrow he will be there, along with Rivas and Cestero… and we will see if he plays or not, but it is Already a step forward.
Mourinho on Julian Alvarez
“This situation… no one knows it better than Simeone. And I don’t see myself having anything at all to say about it. What I usually say is that when a player is not satisfied, by September 1, he has to be in the team otherwise he won’t play. My feeling is that from yesterday until at least the end of the season, he will be an important player for his club.”
Mourinho rotates in midfield with the Champions League in mind
“We’ll talk about it after the game. But until then, let me stay optimistic and happy. We’ll focus on Betis and put this whole thing behind us.”
Mourinho talks about Asensio’s future
“The club has opened an investigation, and as long as this investigation is ongoing, I still consider him a Real Madrid player. And he will remain so for a few more weeks. This helps me get away from the problem you mentioned. He is a Real Madrid player.”
Mourinho on Dani Ceballos
“We spoke for three minutes on the phone; I told him I didn’t count on him. Although players often stick to their contracts, in this case he understood the situation and said he would prefer to become a free agent and decide his future. We reached an agreement, terminated his contract, and Ceballos became a free agent to make his own decisions.”
Mourinho talks about whether the standard of La Liga has declined with only two teams competing for the title
“I think Atletico will be in the mix as well, and even if they don’t say it publicly, they will feel they can do it. The way they signed the players conveys internal stability, the retention of the coach, the organizational structure, the training methods…which gives them more strength than if you change things often. For me, they are contenders as well. Then there are the teams that will be in the Champions League zone, Betis and Villarreal…they are strong teams. And tomorrow we will just see.” For me, this is not an easy league, but here there is constant pressure to always win. “In France or Germany, competitors know they will win the title every time.”
Mourinho on Manuel Pellegrini
“I never hold anything against anyone, because we can’t turn back time. But in retrospect, obviously, there are things you say and in the end, you feel like an idiot. You feel like you were wrong. That’s why I don’t hold a grudge. But I said some really stupid things to him. Later… and maybe he’ll laugh if he hears me say it, I paid dearly for it. Because the championship he won with Manchester City, I gave it to him. Because if, with two games to go, Liverpool were tied with… Chelsea, he would have been the champion. I paid a heavy price for that and later, he showed a great performance towards me during the friendly match between Betis and Roma, because of the referee who loved Betis so much, we only had seven players left on the field, and he said: “We will not run over them. “Let’s leave it as it is,” which was 3-1 or something like that. He could have scored eight goals against us. He’s a great coach and a role model as a person. I love him so much. Tomorrow, hugs before the game, after the game… and off we go.”
Mourinho talks to former coaches about this team
“Not with Xavi. With Alvaro, yes. But it wasn’t because of him, you already got the information. It’s not easy for a former coach to talk about your previous situation. But it wasn’t because of him…”
Mourinho talks about signing Luka Modric
“We wanted him badly… but it was almost impossible to negotiate with Levi. But we were monitoring his signing while we were in the States, and one day he was signed, the next day he wasn’t, one day yes, the next no… Real Madrid were almost ready to say: ‘It’s impossible,’ but the player wanted it. Because he could play as a six, an eight, a ten. He was just the right player. They drove me crazy for a few months. But then… everything fell into the trap.” place.”
