Mourinho acknowledges Real Madrid's weakness and criticises the fans after the whistles at Vinicius
The Portuguese described the Inter Milan clash as "crazy"
Jose Mourinho admitted his Real Madrid side had a gap in their ranks during the Champions League win over Inter Milan, while leaping to the defence of Vinicius Junior, who was jeered by the fans at the final whistle.
Real were far from their best but saw off their Italian visitors 2-1 on Tuesday evening at the Santiago Bernabeu, opening both teams' league-phase campaign in the continental competition.
Before the match, Mourinho had insisted he would take an unconvincing win over a fine performance that ended in defeat. He said as much again after the Inter clash, a game packed with thrilling swings and chances at both ends.
"I prefer to say it was a crazy match," the Portuguese told Movistar, in comments picked up by Spanish newspaper "Sport". "We are often criticised when the match is boring, and today it was crazy, and it could have ended 7-6 without any problem."
Win secured, Mourinho still owned up to his team's struggles, particularly in the middle of the park. "Our midfield was weak, they made changes very early, and I did not have many options in midfield," he explained.
"When I saw that the players were going through a difficult situation, I made the changes, but I think they did a great job," he added. "The match was not boring, and we were close to scoring a third goal in the final minute of the first half."
He was quick to hand his players credit too. "I agree that the goals came in moments from the opponent's mistakes, but I want to give my team's players some credit, because we train on pressing against the opponent," the Real Madrid boss continued. "Valverde's goal comes as a result of work, so it should not all be criticism."
Read also:
"We did not carry out Mourinho's instructions": Valverde criticises Real Madrid's players
"Courtois made many saves, but we also wasted chances"
Thibaut Courtois was outstanding throughout, yet Mourinho refused to reduce the win to the Belgian goalkeeper's brilliance alone.
"It is one thing for you not to be in control of the match, and another for the opponent to be in control, and they were not that either," he said. "Courtois made many saves, but how many goals did we waste on the counter-attacks? It was a wonderful match."
A message of support for Vinicius
Mourinho closed by defending Vinicius. The Brazilian remains well short of his best, the manager insisted, but leaves everything out on the pitch.
"He has worked a lot, very much," the Portuguese said. "I know it, everyone knows it, and he knows it too. He has not yet reached his full readiness, and he is not yet the Vinicius we know, but he works a lot, and whoever works and gives everything he has deserves respect."
