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Real Madrid v Rayo Vallecano de Madrid - LaLiga EA Sports 2026/27Getty Images Sport
Hussein Hamdy
Translated by

Mourinho: my advancing years save me from Diomande's predicament, and this is what Vinicius lacks

J. Mourinho
Vinicius Junior
Y. Diomande
A. Guler
Real Madrid
Rayo Vallecano
LaLiga
Portugal
Brazil
Côte d’Ivoire
Türkiye
Spain

Substitutes under the media's microscope

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Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho covered plenty of ground after Saturday's 4-1 win over Rayo Vallecano in the fifth round of La Liga.

Speaking at the post-match press conference, Mourinho said: "Arda Guler plays a lot when he is on the pitch. And I will say with 100% certainty that if Diomande had not started today, the first question would have been: why is Diomande not playing? On the bench you see nothing but quality. The changes will happen from one match to another. Arda has a very positive impact on the team's performance. When he came on, he made the difference in the stability of the play."

The Portuguese turned next to Yan Diomande's situation: "I am a little too old to feel pressure because of a player's situation. You have different lists of players, and sometimes you have to pray that no player gets injured, and at other times you have many solutions. He will improve gradually. He has little time at the top level, and he has a lot to learn tactically. But he possesses amazing potential."

He added: "Diomande gives us many options in one-on-one duels, passing and shooting, and he can also play in Vini's position, and on the right side, just as Arda can play there or in Bellingham's position. At the moment, I want to help him develop."

Mourinho then moved on to Vinicius: "Vinicius is in better physical shape than ever, but he is just one millimetre short of reaching his top speed. His ability to repeat efforts is immense. It is a process he is gradually absorbing. Mentally, he is very strong, and he knows Real Madrid more than anyone else. He plays with great responsibility, which is the responsibility of playing for Real Madrid and the Brazil national team. He is calm. The goals will come."

Next matches
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LaLiga

01 Nov 2026

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LaLiga

08 Nov 2026

RAY

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Asked why he made his final change, bringing on Cucurella for Vinicius, Mourinho said: "It's simple. I want to win, and I want to win with as many goals as possible. When you are 3-1 ahead, with 5 minutes left to the end, and you have a very strong full-back at Rayo who is capable of creating danger... I felt at that moment that the best thing was to close the door. For me, the time for doing tricks and scoring goals was over. And then we scored the fourth goal, and that was better."

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