According to Diario AS, Mourinho is pleased that three Real Madrid players were eliminated from the World Cup early, as this allows him to plan pre-season training according to his schedule.

Mourinho's second stint at Real Madrid will begin on July 13, when players undergo medical examinations at the Valdebebas training ground, followed by their first training session. After two trophy-less seasons, pre-season training will be crucial for the new coach as he looks to implement his tactical philosophy and prepare for the new season, with Real Madrid's goal every season being to compete for championships. Mourinho needs his most critical players to return early to work with the core squad.

Mourinho previously admitted on the podcast "Beast Mode On": "Honestly, I hope Real Madrid players lose their World Cup games so they can have an early holiday and I can get them into pre-season training as soon as possible." Now, his wish has come true. Arda Güler, Valverde, and Rüdiger have all been eliminated, meaning the three can essentially take part in joint training from the early stages of pre-season. However, it is not all good news for the Portuguese, as most of Real Madrid's players participating in the World Cup are still advancing.

Turkey and Uruguay were two of the most disappointing teams in the group stage. Turkey were eliminated in the first round from a seemingly easy group featuring Australia, Paraguay, and the United States, while Uruguay managed only 2 points in a group consisting of Spain, Saudi Arabia, and Cape Verde. Güler left Turkey's crucial qualification match injured, while Valverde was substituted in the 55th minute of the 1-0 loss to Spain and expressed dissatisfaction with coach Bielsa. Both are expected to return to training early in the second week of pre-season (between July 20 and 22).

Rüdiger was defeated by Paraguay in a penalty shootout on Monday, with the latter emerging as the biggest dark horse of this World Cup so far. Rüdiger only earned a starting opportunity after Schlotterbeck's injury. He played 110 minutes in that match and failed to convert a crucial penalty, as he had done with Real Madrid against Man City and Atlético Madrid. His return date will be slightly later than Valverde and Güler, but he will still be able to begin joint training with Mourinho earlier.

For Mourinho, the current "bad news" is that Bellingham (England), Vinicius and Endrick (Brazil), Mbappe, Konaté and Tchouaméni (France), Cucurella (Spain), Brahim (Morocco), Bernardo Silva (Portugal), and Courtois (Belgium) are all still at the World Cup. However, all of the aforementioned players have shown their best form at this World Cup, which also puts pressure on the Portuguese coach: he needs to replicate the same level of performance at Real Madrid, especially with the combination of Mbappé and Vinicius.

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