Mourinho Praises Espí After Dramatic Espanyol Winner
Real Madrid boss José Mourinho praised the impact of physical presence and positional discipline within his side, noting the balance required between players who create chances and those who must hold their shape, particularly when Federico Valverde and Bernardo Silva feature together.
“We are getting to know each other, but we are doing it without dropping points, and that is the important thing,” Mourinho said.
The Portuguese coach also spoke highly of Carlos Espí, whose dramatic late goal secured victory over Espanyol, praising both the youngster’s temperament and work ethic.
“He is a very cheerful young man. We live together in Valdebebas, having breakfast, lunch and dinner together – me, my staff, him and Cucurella,” Mourinho said. “Tomorrow will be Espí’s presentation ceremony. Imagine, he is living a dream. But he doesn’t work as if he’s in another world – he works a lot. He has everything for a forward, he is an excellent player. When we saw that Gonzalo might leave for Fulham, we analysed the situation well, and we are very happy to have him. We need a player with these qualities in matches of this kind.”
Asked about the referee’s performance, Mourinho was measured in his assessment. “He had a great game, but I say that from the bench. I might see him later in his office and my perspective could change. There were no decisive moments through VAR or anything that could have determined the outcome of the match.”
Mourinho also addressed the challenges of managing a large, competitive squad following the club’s summer signings. “The difficult thing is that you start the match with 11 players and have 12 players on the bench. I can’t solve that, and I can’t perform miracles. I’ve told the players we have to fight the frustration of not participating. They need to understand that I feel sad when I leave some players out of the lineup. If they don’t work hard, it will be easier for me.”
He concluded by underlining the standards expected at the club. “The players who stepped onto the pitch did what they had to do to help, and they had a good feeling about the team. It must be like that. Even in friendly matches, Real Madrid cannot allow itself not to fight for victory. We will lose some matches, and I hope it won’t be too many, but Real Madrid competes in four competitions and must always play seriously. We cannot play with ten players.”
