José Mourinho is not one to mince words, particularly in press conferences, and on Friday he laid it all bare.
The Portuguese defended his style of play, which has drawn criticism from many quarters.
Real Madrid edged Inter Milan 2-1 on Tuesday in the UEFA Champions League opener. Madrid fans booed as the Jose Mourinho’s men defended their slim lead in the second half.
Mourinho Defends Real Madrid Tactics
Speaking ahead of the Rayo Vallecano clash, Mourinho defended his team and dismissed the surrounding fuss over his tactics.
“A player who scores 40 goals every season isn’t a problem for the team,” the Portuguese manager said.
“There are different kinds of people – those who understand and those who don’t; the latter know it’s not in their interests to talk about positive things.
“I’ve seen Kylian drop back to the 10-yard line to help [Marc] Cucurella whilst a very demanding manager was shouting at him.
“I really value that sort of behaviour. Then these people don’t mention that we defended well or that we could have scored eight goals.
“There are matches that are very boring, and perhaps we’ll have a few of those. There are Champions League matches where teams are afraid, they don’t take risks, and people go home with a bad taste in their mouths.
“They could have scored four against us, yes, but we could have scored eight. Why don’t they say that? Aren’t they happy that we’ve won?”
Mbappe also defended himself while speaking to France Football
“I don’t think it’s normal, but that’s the life of someone who has lived at the pinnacle of excellence for years,” “If I don’t score, people ask why I’m not scoring.
“Everyone has known what I’m capable of for years. And I think that’s where the human element comes in. It’s human nature to always focus on what someone isn’t doing… So, it’s not something I take personally.”
The victory over Inter Milan followed Real’s loss to Real Betis last weekend, where Kylian Mbappé missed a penalty in the closing minutes.
Meanwhile, concerns continue to grow over the recent dip in form displayed by Vinícius Júnior this season.
Mourinho Invokes Proverb to Protect Superstars
“You only throw stones at trees that bear fruit.”
What has Vini done here in recent years? How many Champions Leagues has he won? How many goals has he scored?” he said.
“He’s a tree with plenty of fruit. And people throw stones because they want fruit. And the best Vinicius is yet to come.
“The Vinicius from last year, when the Bernabeu was terrified against Benfica and he ended up winning the tie, that Vinicius is coming.
“In an era of data and statistics, he’s very close to his top speed. He’s broken his records in high-intensity sprints, records for ball recoveries, for ball recoveries in the final third… He’s coming.”
