Mourinho Backs His Handling of Vinícius at Real Madrid and Praises Valverde
The Real Madrid coach says a "very good" player leaves the door open to rediscovering his form even in negative moments, and stresses the team's weight
Jose Mourinho, coach of Real Madrid, said of Vinícius that "a very good player is a player who, even in his negative moments, leaves the door open for you to return to his normal situation," in the press conference ahead of his team's visit to Valencia (Saturday, November 7, 21:00 local / 20:00 GMT).
"A coach must do everything to have his players at their maximum level, trying different game strategies, personal management, playing between the right hand and the left hand, and always believing in the player's true potential. A bad player will always be a bad player; a very good player is a player who, even in his negative moments, leaves the door open for you to return to his normal situation," he added.
The Demands on the Brazilian and the Weight of the Team
He highlighted the particularity of the Brazilian's situation: "The game Vinícius played in Athens, if it isn't Vinícius and it's a normal player, we'd all say: 'A good game, a game like his team's, not incredible, but good.' Since it's Vinícius, and from him you always expect the one who last year eliminated me from the 'Champions'..., we have to keep working with all the possible strategies, at all levels. There is one that is very important to me, which is the friendship of his teammates."
"For me the most important thing is the team; I have never willingly harmed the team to benefit a player. When we return to normality and Vinícius is available, I will do my management. As a coach, I don't think game by game; I must think about the sequence of games we have. This game with AEK was for Vinícius, to rest a player like Arda. But when it comes down to it, which is the moment of deciding who plays, the team must always come above the player," he summarized.
Praise for Valverde and Room for Improvement
He also had words for Fede Valverde: "Since we've been together, I've seen an optimal professional, humble, a friend to his teammates, without being one of those voices you hear every day at every moment; he's a guy who's there, an example for everyone. I think the fact that he is officially the captain of Real Madrid has given him a sense of responsibility that has to be that way; it's not an easy thing."
Despite being happy with his squad, he stressed that there is still room for improvement. "It's better not to come from behind; 3-0 is better. Coming from behind means many positive things, but also some negative ones. The positive is the belief, the group, the friendship, the openness to risk situations, a rich bench, the motivation, knowing what shirt you wear. And that negative side we have to work on, finding more consistency when it comes to starting games well, as we have started in Santander, practically in all of them at our home. There is a lot to do," he concluded. EFE
