"Talk is easy, action is harder": Mourinho sends a strong message to Real Madrid's stars and warns against frustration
From Diomandé and Tchouaméni and Valverde to Vinícius and Mbappé and Bellingham: the Special One reveals the secrets
Portugal's José Mourinho, the manager of Real Madrid, addressed a number of matters concerning the team during the press conference ahead of tomorrow's clash with Espanyol. The game kicks off on Saturday at the Stage Front stadium, part of the second round of fixtures in the Spanish league for the 2026-2027 season.
Espanyol arrive in high spirits. They opened the new campaign with a big win over Levante, three goals to nil, claiming their first three points and keeping a clean sheet. The Catalan side hope home advantage and their supporters can help them continue that strong start.
Real Madrid, meanwhile, play their first official away match in the Spanish league this season. Their clash with Real Sociedad in the opening round was postponed, an exceptional measure to give the clubs most affected by the 2026 World Cup an additional period to recover and prepare.
Mourinho praises Espanyol and speaks about Real Madrid's readiness
Speaking about the clash with Espanyol, Mourinho said: "They are a good team. Sides coached by the same manager for a long time are fully prepared, and they have a distinctive routine and dynamic. They play well and have great ambition."
The Real Madrid manager added: "I liked their first match a lot. They have three points, they scored three goals without conceding, and the fans are happy. We are ready for what we will face."
Asked about his feelings before the season kicks off, he explained: "I am fine and calm. It is another season. It is difficult to prepare the team in different groups, as some players have gone through 36 training sessions and 6 matches, while others have played few matches and a limited number of training sessions."
"I managed to prepare varied training sessions for everyone, and I am very happy with the current situation," he continued. "If you ask me whether I would like an extra week, the answer is yes, but we are fed up with friendly matches. We want real matches."
On his injury list, he explained: "The players who got injured last season will be out for a long time, and I do not expect them to return within two or three weeks. The only absentee for this match who was not with the team last season is Endrick."
Turning to Tchouameni's condition, he said: "He is fine, but he needs to train today, tomorrow and Sunday to speed up his recovery. He arrived in a condition that does not allow him to be fully ready for this match."
Mourinho comments on Diomande's remarks: Tchouameni and Valverde dispute
On the pressure surrounding his arrival at Real Madrid, Mourinho said: "I don't call it pressure, I call it enthusiasm. It's a positive feeling, and the day I don't feel this enthusiasm, something will be wrong."
He added: "I don't feel pressure in the first matches or in football matches in general. I have great confidence in the work we have done, and confidence in the players' ambition, their mentality and the passion they show me. It's a difficult match, but tomorrow when we travel, we will do so certain that we will return with the three points."
Diomande had declared himself ready to die for his coach. Asked about those remarks, the Portuguese said: "Without taking his words literally, it's an expression I like. I would have preferred it if he had said he was ready to die for the team, for Real Madrid, but I understand what he means when he mentions my name."
He explained: "Talking is easy, but acting is harder. Diomande's actions are no different from what I see from everyone. I see them committed and with a desire to do the right thing. The team is growing and it is cohesive. We are not a perfect team, and no team is. I don't think I'll avoid problems, they will inevitably come, but at its core the team is strong. Diomande's message is directed at everyone."
Turning to the relationship between Tchouameni and Federico Valverde, Mourinho said: "I arrived with a lot of information. I've been here for three years, and I have my sources, and you in the press have your sources too. I learned of many things, not just the Tchouameni and Federico issue. I decided to start from scratch, and from a distinguished position of course."
He continued: "I didn't need to speak with Tchouameni. I saw everything as normal. If you had told me what happened last season without me knowing the problem, and then I saw how they interact now, I would not have been able to imagine what happened. It's not about making peace, it's about normality, friendship and cooperation, as if nothing had ever happened."
Criteria for a successful season: praise for Real Madrid's leaders
On the criteria for a successful season with Real Madrid, Mourinho said: "There are many ways to look at it, but the only practical way is to focus on results."
He added: "You can develop enormously on many levels, expand the structure, and there are many things that need to change, but results are the most important thing. We have three trophies plus a smaller one. Ending the season without titles at Real Madrid is not a successful season."
The Portuguese also revealed that he had handed academy players a chance with the first team, saying: "Cestero, Ceria and Rivas will be on the bench tomorrow. We do not have a large squad, and these players have been out for a long time. I prefer to work with a maximum of 22 players. These players fill the vacant positions and cooperate with us excellently."
"I want to motivate the young players by making it clear that the opportunity is available to them," he continued. "This week it is the turn of these three, and there will be more. There is something I like to do, which is appreciated at the academy, and I believe it will motivate the players."
On the team's leaders, Mourinho said: "I am happy with everyone. I think the leaders are starting to get to know me too. They have an ability to observe, analyse and understand me well. I do not speak to introduce myself through my words, rather I want them to get to know me through their analysis. The leaders are in the process of leading, and there is unity among the team members and a deep sense of empathy."
Rounding off, he said: "We meet with the technical staff every morning at eight. Those who attended told us they see a team that enjoys a different kind of empathy. The leaders have not yet had to lead in a difficult moment, but that will come, and we will see when it happens. The players help me avoid problems, and the team helps the leaders to enjoy a period of reflection and calm."
Mourinho warns against frustration and feels no nostalgia for the past
The Portuguese coach spoke about the need for his players to deal with frustration, saying: "We must not compromise on what cannot be compromised. Commitment is fundamental in every match, and we have to overcome moments of frustration, whether because of results or personal frustration. I know many of them will feel frustrated, because it will be the first time I have to make a choice, where one player starts the match while another sits on the bench."
"They have to deal with it individually and collectively," he explained. "I cannot start the match with 15 players, only 11 can play. I expect it to be difficult because they give their all. And on the day one of them drops in performance because of frustration, the decision will be easy for me."
Mourinho then turned to the defensive duties he asks of Real Madrid's forwards. "It differs depending on the match and the opponent. You have to defend with 11 players. If the team is pressing us in our own half, then we all have to defend. And if we are playing in their half, then we have to play and press."
"There is more than one way, one is pressing and the other is closing down spaces," he said. "Some players will have to press hard, and others will have to close down spaces. The idea of some players defending while others just wait for the ball does not work. Everyone's response has always been excellent, and there are no problems at all."
He was also asked about following Real Madrid from afar over the past years. "I am not the type to dwell on the past or feel nostalgic. I left Portugal 20 years ago, and only returned to it for a few months last year."
"I do not have much to miss, and I do not think about what I leave behind," he added. "Every title with Real Madrid would come with a call from the president, and I always answered: no, it is not down to me. I am glad my work had a positive impact, but the titles belong to Carlo, Zidane, the players and the fans. Always with joy."
Mourinho praises Vinicius's contract renewal
On the renewal of Vinicius Junior's contract, Mourinho said: "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 I felt relieved. I don't want to speculate about his ranking or whether he is among the top ten players, but he is among the best, and the best should be here."
Asked what he makes of Vinicius' ambitions, Mourinho explained: "I don't know why, maybe he had a previous problem, I don't know. What I see is his desire to win, he knows what I want, without a doubt. I think he is happy and comfortable with the way we prepare for matches, and he has wanted to win since day one. Before he signed, every short conversation ended with the phrase: we'll improve, we'll win again, we'll be happy. That was always his goal."
Would his imprint soon be fully visible on the team? He said: "This is my team now, for better or worse. And if we're talking about the concept of the perfect team, it doesn't exist. I think we have to improve daily. I like teams where the same manager stays for two or three years, because that develops the team through the accumulation of information and understanding."
He went on: "The team always has room to develop, and we still have a long road ahead. The competition won't wait for us, and we have a decisive match. When I said the best is yet to come, you were thinking about the players, but I was referring to the matches. We played the friendly matches seriously, and now that there are points at stake, we have to do our very best."
Mourinho talks about the Vinícius, Mbappé and Bellingham trio
On having a perfect starting eleven, Mourinho said: "The players already know who will play. I'm not the type to hide things, and they know. Perhaps your information will reach you within a couple of hours, but I won't say it."
He added: "I don't have a perfect starting eleven, and if I did, I wouldn't want it. I want to keep the door of competition open, 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."
He 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 are building tactical awareness. And if we're talking about top-class players like Trent, Dumfries, Cucurella and Carreras, it is 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, the coach said: "I don't think we have a shortage. Rodri would have been a great signing, but we have Tchouaméni, Bernardo and Arda, and with time he will be able to play in these positions. We have no problem."
On the possibility of combining Vinícius, Mbappé and Bellingham, Mourinho said: "They are amazing players, and they want to play with amazing players. Great players feel frustrated when they play with players who aren't at the same level."
He added: "The tactical compatibility may be more difficult. Ancelotti found the perfect line-up for the Brazil national team for Vinícius, Deschamps for Kylian, and Tuchel for Jude, but it's difficult to find Mourinho's perfect line-up for all three. But 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 will deliver a great season with them."
Mourinho reveals reasons for changing his backroom staff
Speaking about his choices for the backroom staff and the exclusion of certain names, Mourinho said: "Joining a new club is always difficult. I try to make as few changes as possible and to bring in people who help me instil a specific mentality and way of working. I try to recruit people I trust a great deal. We have seven analysts, and I brought in just one, and I am very happy with that."
He explained: "As for sports science, data, workload management and individual customisation, I brought in only one person. The people already here have also developed and adapted to our way of working."
On Sami, he said: "At every club I prefer to have someone from inside the organisation. In my first spell it was Aitor, the current world champion. I thought of Real Madrid players from my era who possess the qualities I like."
He continued: "Xabi is a top-class coach, Álvaro is a top-class coach, Modric is still playing, and Granero is a businessman. I narrowed the options down to two or three names."
He added: "In my first conversation with him, I wanted to understand things. He told me: if I have to leave tomorrow, I will leave tomorrow. He understands the mentality, he has a good relationship with the players, and he is improving a great deal on the pitch."
On the rest of the names, he said: "As for the other people who were with me at Benfica, they are people I trust. One of them focuses more on organising the attack, and the other on set pieces."
Mourinho concluded: "Lopes and Nuno let me down. I do not know Lopes personally and I do not know how he works. Perhaps I did something I should not have done. This was a key part of the team, and I wanted someone to work with me now."
He added: "The situation was not what it was ten years ago. A team is made up of 11 players, and that is why I decided to make a change. I thought Pintus and Silva might be a perfect fit. They have different skills, different areas of expertise and different methods, and I am very happy with how we work. We have a good staff and good players, and if it does not work out, then the manager is the bad one."
What advice would the Mourinho of 2013 have given to the Mourinho of today?
A journalist asked José Mourinho, the current manager of Real Madrid, what advice he could have given himself back when he was coaching the team in 2013. He replied: "A good question, philosophical and difficult. Look, it is simply that today's Mourinho is the one who can give advice to the Mourinho of 2013. The Mourinho of 2013 is not in a position to do so."
"Are you the one who advises your father, or is your father the one who advises you?" he added. "You always have to remain calm. For me, calmness has become easier than it was five, ten or even twenty years ago."
Sarcasm crept in as he went on: "You might tell me that you still receive red cards every season, but I am not talking about that kind of calmness. If you multiply 24 by 7, you get long hours of football. During those hours, you have to keep your calm. I am better than I was when I arrived, and better than I was when I left. That is the essence of the matter."
Turning to last season's Benfica match, Mourinho said: "I stayed in the garage during that match and watched it from the bus. But joking aside, I had no contact whatsoever. It was an important match for both Real Madrid and Benfica, and I did not communicate with anyone."
Asked when the first contact with Real Madrid came, he said: "At first there were rumours, then came the contact. There was first contact, then talk, then rumours and news. Now the situation is reversed. Every year a rumour appears, and I did not pay it much attention. When Real Madrid contacted me, we had already been knocked out of the competition, and it was near the end of the season. At that point they asked me whether I was interested or not, and I believe that was during Benfica's last two matches."
