Real Madrid closed out their pre-season on a high, coming through their warm-up matches unbeaten. Three wins over Ferencvaros, Deportivo and Schalke, plus a draw with Fiorentina, hand the squad a timely morale boost ahead of their La Liga opener against Espanyol next week.
Speaking on the club's channel after the win over Schalke, Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho hailed a positive display at both a collective and individual level. The tactical ideas, he stressed, were gradually becoming clearer, despite the gap in readiness between players who joined early and those who linked up later.
Those who started the preparation period on day one had racked up around 30 training sessions and 6 matches, the Portuguese explained, while some recent arrivals had managed only 3 or 4 sessions. That accounts for the difference in rhythm, enthusiasm and stamina. Even so, he insisted the group was progressing well tactically.
Praise for his players followed. Real Madrid boast talent at different levels of quality, Mourinho noted, but at this stage he is focused on developing the group as a whole rather than judging individuals. The team, he added, had begun to work impressively both with and without the ball.
His new signings drew a special mention. Integrating quickly into an intensive programme of two sessions a day in high temperatures is no easy task, yet Mourinho stressed that they had arrived with a positive mindset and a clear desire to become part of the group.
Managing physical loads and minutes on the pitch also came under discussion. Decisions on participation, Mourinho explained, rest on scientific analysis of the data alongside the coaching staff's experience and each player's own knowledge of his body. The team, he said, had reached this stage of the season in good physical shape.
The encounter with Schalke, played at the Veltins-Arena, prompted Mourinho to reflect on the spirit emerging in the dressing room. Some players had been keen to return to training ahead of schedule, he revealed, while others turned up on the final day of the preparation period. To him, that spoke of real commitment and a hunger to get going.
Already the team had begun to look like a single unit, Mourinho said. Empathy and team spirit were now evident within the group, and the enthusiasm was no longer confined to the coaching staff or the fans. The players themselves had caught it too.
He wrapped up his assessment by declaring Real Madrid ready for the opener against Espanyol. The team was "in very good shape", he said, capping a mood of optimism at the club after a pre-season without a single defeat.