"Talk is easy, action is harder": Mourinho sends a strong message to Real Madrid's stars and warns against frustration

Mourinho said of the Espanyol clash: "They are a good team. Teams coached by the same manager for a long time are perfectly prepared, and they have distinctive routines and dynamics. 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 how he felt before the start of the season, he explained: "I am fine and calm. It is another season. It is difficult to prepare the team in different groups, as some players went through 36 training sessions and 6 matches, while others played few matches and a limited number of training sessions."

He continued: "I managed to prepare varied training sessions for everyone, and I am very happy with the current situation. If you ask me whether I would like an extra week, the answer is yes, but we are tired of friendly matches. We want real matches."

Turning to his injured players, he added: "The players who were 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 from this match who was not with the team last season is Endrick."

On Tchouaméni'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."

Asked about 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 that enthusiasm, something will be wrong."

He added: "I don't feel pressure in the opening matches, or in football matches generally. I have great confidence in the work we have done, confidence in the players' ambition and 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 come back with the three points."

Diomande had declared he was ready to die for Mourinho. The Portuguese coach responded: "Without taking his words literally, it's an expression I like. I would have preferred it if he'd 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 doing 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's united. We're not a perfect team, and no team is. I don't think I'll avoid problems, they will come inevitably, but at its core the team is strong. Diomande's message is directed at everyone."

Turning to the relationship between Tchouaméni and Federico Valverde, Mourinho said: "I arrived with a lot of information. I've been here for three years, and I have my contacts, and you in the press have your contacts too. I became aware of many things, not just the Tchouaméni and Federico matter. I decided to start from scratch, and from a privileged position, of course."

He continued: "I didn't need to speak with Tchouaméni. 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 wouldn't have been able to imagine what happened. It's not about making peace, it's about normality, friendship and cooperation, as if nothing had happened."

Asked what makes a season successful at 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 significantly on many levels, expand the structure, and there are many things that need to change, but results are what matter most. We have three titles in addition to one smaller title. Finishing the season without trophies at Real Madrid is not a successful season."

Some academy players will get their chance with the first team. "Cestero, Ceria and Rivas will be on the bench tomorrow," Mourinho revealed. "We don't have a large squad, and these players have been absent for a long time. I prefer to work with a maximum of 22 players. These fill the vacant positions and cooperate with us excellently."

"I want to motivate the young players by making clear that the opportunity is available to them," he added. "This week it's the turn of these three, and there will be more. There is something I like to do, and it 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 don't speak to introduce myself through my words, but 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."

He continued: "We meet with the coaching staff every morning at eight. Those who attended told us that they see a team with 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 enjoy a period of reflection and calm."

You can discuss the topics and news in greater depth in the "Kooora" forums

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 essential in every match, and we have to overcome moments of frustration, whether because of results or personal frustration. I know that 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."

Mourinho went on: "They have to deal with it individually and collectively. I cannot start the match with 15 players, only 11 players 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."

Asked about the defensive duties he asks of Real Madrid's forwards, Mourinho said: "It differs depending on the match and the opponent. You have to defend with 11 players. And if the team is pressing us in our half, then we all have to defend. And if we are playing in their half, then we have to play and press."

He continued: "There is more than one method, one is pressing and another is closing down spaces. Some players will have to press hard, and others will have to close down spaces. And the idea that some players defend while others just wait for the ball does not work. Everyone's response has always been excellent, and there are no problems whatsoever."

Reflecting on watching Real Madrid from afar over the past years, he said: "I am not the type to dwell on the past or feel nostalgic. I left Portugal 20 years ago, and I only returned to it for a few months last year."

He added: "I do not have much to miss, and I do not think about what I leave behind. Every title with Real Madrid used to come accompanied by a call from the president, and I always used to answer: no, it is not about me. I am pleased that my work had a positive impact, but the titles belong to Carlo, Zidane, the players and the fans. Always with joy."

On the renewal of Vinicius Junior's contract, Mourinho said: "It was not a surprise. When they explained the matter 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 standing or whether he is among the top ten players, but he is one of the best, and the best should be here."

Asked what Vinicius wants, Mourinho explained: "I don't know the reason, perhaps 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 from day one, and before he signed, every short conversation ended with the phrase: we will improve, we will win again, we will be happy. That was always his goal."

Pressed on when his imprint will be fully visible on the team, he said: "This is my team now, for better or worse. And if we are talking about the concept of the perfect team, it does not exist. I think we must 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 explained: "The team always has room to develop, and we still have a long way to go. The competition will not wait for us, and we have a decisive match. When I said that the best is yet to come, you were thinking of the players, but I was referring to the matches. We played the friendly matches seriously, and now that there are points at stake, we must give our very best."

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."

You can discuss the topics and news in greater depth in the "Kooora" forums

On his choices for the backroom staff and leaving out 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 attract people I trust a great deal. We have seven analysts, and I brought in only one, and I am very pleased with that."

He explained: "As for sports science, data, workload management and individual tailoring, I brought in only one person. The people already here have also developed and adapted to our way of working."

Turning to Sami, he said: "At every club I prefer to have someone from within the organisation. In my first spell it was Aitor, the current world champion. I thought about Real Madrid players from my time who have 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 get to know things. He said to 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 fundamental part of the team, and I wanted someone to work with me now."

He added: "The situation was not as 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. I am very pleased with how we work. We have a good staff and good players, and if it does not work out, the coach is the bad one."

A journalist asked José Mourinho, the current manager of Real Madrid, what advice he might have given himself back when he coached the club in 2013. He replied: "Good question, philosophical and difficult. Look, it is simply that the Mourinho of today is the one who can give advice to the Mourinho of 2013. The Mourinho of 2013 is not in a position to do so."

He added: "Are you the one who advises your father, or is your father the one who advises you? You must always remain calm. For me, calm has become easier than it was five, ten, or even twenty years ago."

Sarcasm crept in as he continued: "You might tell me that you still receive red cards every season, but I am not talking about that kind of calm. And if you multiply 24 by 7, you get long hours of football. During those hours, you must keep your calm. I am better than I was when I arrived, and better than I was when I left. That is the heart of the matter."

On last season's match against Benfica, Mourinho said: "I stayed in the garage during that match and watched it from the bus. But joking aside, I had no contact at all. 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 took place, he said: "At the beginning, there were rumours, then came the contact. First there was contact, then talk, then rumours and news. Now the situation is reversed. And 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 that 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."