The Portuguese referee has returned to officiate a Real Madrid match after 16 years, but “the good ones” are missing, he pointed out. Alexis Ciria (18 years old): “Mourinho really likes intensity in training and my father told me at halftime that I am a source of pride for the family”
José Mourinho spoke to Realmadrid TV after the first preseason match against Fiorentina (2-2). Real Madrid played a great first half, but failed to put the game away, and the Italians ultimately secured a draw.
Sensations
“I liked everything. I got to the locker room and saw on my phone that they were saying Real Madrid had two faces, but it was more like three: fresh, tired, and extremely tired . The fresh team played very well; the 2-1 halftime score is a very low score. It was a first half of very high quality for a 3-4-0 lead. The second half became more physical against a typically Italian team, very physically imposing, and they put us under pressure. Then, playing in the box with two 18-year-olds, who aren’t physically up to the level of more established players, was a challenge.”
The third side, the extremely tired side, where the team showed they were a team, controlling the game and dominating. Dumfries and Endrick trained for three days and played over 70 minutes, putting in a fantastic effort, and it means a lot to see them wanting to give their all… Thanks to Grosso for the excellent training session they gave us.
Is that what we’re going to see?
“It’s not about what we’ll see in the future, it’s about Real Madrid with the players we have now . Real Madrid is Real Madrid. Always. It doesn’t matter, friendly, training match… We have to look for improvement, but also for results and hard work. I’ve had to put the players I had available on the field, try to find a dynamic that would allow Trent and Dumfries to play this way…”
We only worked yesterday. It was about organization, to understand a team that knows what it has to do on the field. Joan and Mario are two kids with a fantastic future who, while the game hasn’t yet become physically demanding, have shown tremendous class and excellent skill. Of the seven available, two have trained for two days, and then there’s poor Carlos Espí, who’s waking up from a dream… I’m very happy with the boys’ work from day one; I’m worried about not having the others. I’d like to have three weeks of work with the rest of the squad. Vini, Bernardo, and Brahim arrive on Monday. The others will have their work cut out for them… until those who played in the semifinals and the final arrive, which is just Cucu.”
Feelings of returning to Madrid 16 years later
“Nothing yet, we’re still waiting for the good matches…”
