José Mourinho admitted he faces a “difficult” task fitting Kylian Mbappé, Vinícius Júnior and Jude Bellingham into his starting 11, but denied the three stars are “incompatible” as Real Madrid prepare to kick off the LaLiga season.
Madrid travel to Espanyol on Saturday for Mourinho’s first competitive game since returning to the club, looking to end Barcelona‘s run of back-to-back titles.
The LaLiga giants have gone two years without a major trophy, and after Vinícius Jr. opted to stay and sign a new deal, Mourinho must now build a successful team with all three stars, plus club record signing Yan Diomande, in attack.
“They’re incredible players,” Mourinho said, speaking on Friday in his first news conference since taking the job this summer.
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“But the tactical structure could be more difficult. [Carlo] Ancelotti found the perfect role for Vini with Brazil, [Didier] Deschamps found the perfect role for Kylian, and [Thomas] Tuchel found the perfect role for Jude [at the World Cup]. But it’s harder to find the perfect role for all three. I have a lot of confidence that we’ll do well when all three play together. I don’t think they’re incompatible at all.”
Madrid’s forward line have faced criticism in the past for their reluctance to track back when out of possession.
“We need to be a team, work hard, and not negotiate things that are non-negotiable,” Mourinho said. “Commitment has to be present in every minute of every game.”
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Mourinho arrived with a number of issues to address, including the relationship between midfielders Aurélien Tchouaméni and Federico Valverde, who clashed last season in a dressing-room row which saw Valverde hospitalised.
“I arrived with a lot of information,” Mourinho said, when asked about the pair. “But I decided to start from zero. From the day Tchouaméni arrived, I’ve been keeping an eye on it, and I’ve felt no need to talk about it. I’ve seen that everything is normal. Seeing how they’ve interacted, you couldn’t imagine what happened.”
Madrid missed out on signing Rodri, who ended up joining Barcelona, but Mourinho — who has admitted having spoken to the Spain captain about a potential move — said that his absence won’t leave a void in midfield.
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“I don’t think we have a deficit [in midfield],” He said. “[Rodri] would have been the icing on the cake… But when you have Tchouaméni, [Eduardo] Camavinga, Valverde, Bernardo [Silva], Arda [Güler] — because with time he can play there — we won’t have problems.”
Mourinho denied that he feels pressure to deliver back at Madrid, in his second spell in charge, having previously coached the club between 2010 and 2013.
“I wouldn’t say pressure. I’d say adrenaline,” he said. ” It’s positive… In the end, it’s about results. Ending the season without trophies at Real Madrid isn’t a successful season.”
