After leading Real Madrid to a resounding 4-0 victory over Malaga at home and securing three consecutive wins, manager José Mourinho attended a press conference to discuss the team's performance.

On Malaga coach Funes' complaint about refereeing

No comment needed.

What's the difference between Huijsen this season and last season?

I don't want to compare with last season—I wasn't here then. I spoke with Huijsen because I like centre-backs who are comfortable on the ball and can play penetrating passes. But for me, the most important thing is defensive solidity: can he win his duels and provide security for the defence? He's improved rapidly in a short time. I need to go home and watch the match calmly, but I remember he made only one bad pass in midfield, and he was excellent otherwise.

This is the Huijsen I want to see. I expect centre-backs to defend well first and foremost, and if they also have excellent technical ability, that's a bonus. But first, they must defend well, and I think he did that very well, and his teammates around him helped too.

On Bellingham's comment about a poor final 20 minutes

He's very demanding of himself and others, and I like that about him. I told him earlier that I don't want him to become a second left-back when defending—I've seen that happen too often before. At Benfica, we used to exploit that. We adjust our formation, he knows what to do, and he plays very comfortably.

I'm very happy with everyone, but at the end of the match, we were indeed a bit disorganised. We were 3-0 up, some players stayed focused, while others relaxed. That's a shared feeling among us all. But this formation allows us to press high up the pitch rather than dropping deep to chase the ball. It's normal that we can't maintain physical condition and concentration for the full 90 minutes.

I've already said that more than one Real Madrid player deserves the Ballon d'Or, and Jude Bellingham is one of them. Of course, one player (Mbappé) made history at the World Cup, but Jude's performance in midfield has been truly exceptional. Today, a young player who wasn't getting much playing time performed well—Camavinga. Fede Valverde, Bernardo... many are working very hard. Next, we travel to Seville to face Betis, which will be a very difficult match, a fierce battle.

On attacking players working together

Good players want to play together, want to play alongside people with similar abilities, similar pace, and similar ideas. These players should always be able to coexist. People used to say Mourinho doesn't want this, doesn't want that... I've always wanted the best players. If there's chemistry and teamwork between them... I think there's no problem; they're all exceptional.

Helping players rediscover their joy

That's a difficult task, not something that can be done in one or two months; it requires a full season. How players overcome disappointment at not playing depends more on them than on me. I can tell everyone that I believe in them all. These emotions ultimately have to be processed by them. Today, Arnau and Cucurella got playing time, while Carreras and Dumfries didn't.

How do you maintain defensive solidity? What's different from last season?

I didn't watch many Real Madrid matches last season, only more when we played them three times in a month at Benfica. But when I had time before that, I would watch Real Madrid matches.

I can't make comparisons; problems will emerge sooner or later, and defeats will come sooner or later. At Benfica, I didn't lose a single match all last season, yet we finished third. If I could lose a few matches but win the championship, I'd gladly do it. But periods of poor form, injuries... these situations will eventually emerge, problems will arise sooner or later, the media will criticise, and fans will be unhappy. We must maintain a stable mindset and not let temporary negative situations affect the entire season. Right now, the team must stay united, which is the key to overcoming difficulties.

On Diomande

He needs to progress step by step. He works hard and is doing well. He's open-minded, humble, willing to learn and listen to his teammates, and he will continue to develop. I can't just focus on the 120 or 130 million euros we spent. I need to view him as a player who's just completed a successful season at Leipzig. People usually think that for such a high transfer fee, a player should immediately be a sensation, but that's not how it works. He's still young—no rush, take it slowly.

Diterjemahkan oleh AI.

Situs web AF kini hadir! Lihat berita lengkap, komentar, detail pertandingan, dan statistik di komputer Anda. Kunjungi: www.allfootballapp.com