On having an ideal starting eleven, Mourinho said: “The players already know who will play. I’m not the type to hide things, and they know, and maybe you’ll get your information within two hours, but I won’t say it.”
He added: “I don’t have an ideal starting lineup, and if I did, I wouldn’t want it. I want to keep the door of competition open, and there are many matches, and there will be matches every three days. Then the players go on holiday for three weeks, and when they return you don’t know how ready they are.”
The coach continued: “We know how we want to build our defence, press and intensify it. We know how to play against teams with different systems, and we’re building tactical awareness, and if we’re talking about top-class players like Trent, Dumfries, Cucurella and Carreras, it’s impossible for one of them to play 50 minutes and another 10 minutes. That’s not possible, because we have very high quality.”
Asked about Real Madrid’s need for a new midfielder, he said: “I don’t think we’re suffering from a shortage. Rodri would have been a great signing, but we have Tchouaméni, Bernardo and Arda, and over time he’ll be able to play in these positions. And we don’t have a problem.”
On the possibility of combining Vinícius, Mbappé and Bellingham, Mourinho said: “They are amazing players, and they want to play with amazing players. Big players feel frustrated when they play with players who aren’t at the same level.”
He added: “The tactical fit may be more difficult. Ancelotti found the ideal lineup with the Brazilian national team for Vinícius, Deschamps for Kylian, and Tuchel for Jude, but it’s difficult to find the ideal Mourinho lineup for all three, yet they have to do it because they believe in their ability to perform well. They are top-class players, and their positions don’t clash. We’ll have a great season with them.”
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