José Mourinho has stressed that his primary objective against Inter Milan tomorrow, Tuesday, in the opening round of the Champions League league phase, is a win. A good performance alone, the Real Madrid manager insists, will not be enough.
Asked what he wants tomorrow at the Santiago Bernabéu, Mourinho said during his pre-match press conference: “I want to win. I could say I want us to play well, but we played well against Betis and lost. I want to win.”
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On how his players reacted after their first defeat of the season, he said: “I saw them as I like to see them. They were devastated in the dressing room after the match, then they recovered greatly in yesterday’s training on Sunday, and today everything has become completely normal.”
The Portuguese coach added: “After analysing the match we played, we are becoming more and more convinced that we produced a good match. We played against a strong side, and the mistakes we made are unusual for us. We are in good shape. We have some problems in midfield ahead of tomorrow’s match, but we will play and we will compete.”
His memories of the Bernabéu run deep. “At the Bernabéu, I won the Champions League title (with Inter Milan at the expense of Bayern Munich), but I also lost a semi-final on penalties (with Real Madrid against Bayern Munich). I have lived through the best and worst moments at this stadium.”
Pressed on whether he might use Trent Alexander-Arnold in midfield against Inter, Mourinho offered only: “I will not comment on that.”
“I don’t owe Real Madrid anything”
Did he owe Real Madrid a Champions League triumph? “No. They are two different periods. I finished my work in 2013, and we won what we won, and we lost what we lost. We gave everything we had, and that phase ended.”
He continued: “This has nothing to do with the past. We are facing two different moments in Real Madrid’s history. That is how it is. In 2010, Real Madrid were not reaching the quarter-finals, and had not played a Champions League semi-final for many years. Now, they have won six Champions League titles… These are completely different periods.”
The former Inter Milan coach went on: “If you ask me whether I am eager to win the Champions League with Real Madrid, then of course yes. But this matter is completely separate from the context of the previous phase.”
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