Real Madrid News
Andriy Lunin shares his thoughts after Copa del Rey win – ‘They are always difficult games’
Real Madrid pulled through to the next round of the Copa del Rey on Wednesday night after a tough fight against Talavera that ended 3-2 in their favour.
An own goal and a Kylian Mbappe brace handed Real Madrid their three goals on the night, while both of the hosts’ goals came after the 80-minute mark.
In many ways, the final scoreline is deceptive and portrays the game to be closer than it was.
Andriy Lunin captained Real Madrid in the absence of the likes of Federico Valverde, Dani Carvajal and Thibaut Courtois and put up a solid show in goal with three saves.
Lunin’s analysis
The Ukrainian spoke to the media after the game, and he opened up on how Copa del Rey fixtures have historically been difficult ones.
“It was important to qualify because the Copa is different and they’re always difficult games.”
He then spoke on how he was annoyed at not keeping a clean sheet while also looking at the silver lining.
“I would like to have kept a clean sheet, but we’re into the Round of 16 and we have to keep fighting for the Cup.”
The Ukrainian international was handed the captain’s armband on the night, and he let his emotions out over how much the moment meant to him.
“Given that half the squad was out, I was named captain, but being Real Madrid captain is always a source of pride.”
“There is a lot of hard work and time put in behind the scenes. I’m grateful to my teammates and the whole club, who have helped me to get here,” he added.
Source: Real Madrid website
Real Madrid News
Mourinho talks Carlos Espi, Diomande, Guler, Tchouameni, Atletico Madrid after Elche 2-3 Real Madrid
Real Madrid found another way to win, but Jose Mourinho was hardly celebrating the manner of it.
Carlos Espi’s injury-time strike completed a 3-2 comeback against Elche, rescuing Madrid after they had surrendered control of a game that appeared to be in their hands.
For Mourinho, the result was welcome, but the performance raised a familiar concern.
“When everything seems easy and you let things slide, it’s dangerous. Then the team reacts and wins, but it’s not pleasant.
“The other good thing is that nobody gets bored with these matches. They’re fun,” he began saying.
Mourinho knows what is going wrong
The Portuguese coach was particularly frustrated by another drop in intensity after the interval.
Real Madrid had opportunities to put the game beyond Elche before allowing their advantage to disappear. Mourinho believes that pattern is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.
“It seems obvious to me. It’s easy to understand. These are games that are all but over, where we have chances to seal the deal but don’t. After failing to do so, we go from having it easy to losing control.
“If we play poorly from the first minute to the 90th, the concern is huge.
“If we have periods where we’re at our best and others where we’re not proactive, just waiting, lacking intensity… Of course it’s a concern. But we won.”
The win keeps Madrid moving, but Mourinho’s concern is less about the points than the way his team is repeatedly making matches unnecessarily complicated.
Carlos Espi again provided the decisive moment from the bench, although Mourinho knows breaking into the starting XI will be difficult with Mbappé ahead of him.
“He’s a guy who works hard and is very motivated,” Mourinho said.
He then added, “He’s up against a player who’s in a league of his own (Mbappe), and we’re well aware of that.”
Madrid derby comes at a delicate moment
Next up is Atletico Madrid, and Mourinho’s attention is already turning towards the derby.
Rather than focusing on the opposition, he remains concerned about his own side’s ability to manage matches.
“The only explanation I can find is that we can’t keep going like this. We misjudged the opportunities we had, and once they score a goal, everything changes,” explained the Real Madrid coach.
Meanwhile, there were positives to take from individual performances, as Mourinho praised Yan Diomande’s development after another energetic outing.
“He’s improving. Physically, you can tell he has more minutes under his belt. He has a great work ethic and intelligence—he’s done a great job.”
Mourinho refuses to call Guler indispensable
Arda Guler’s importance was also questioned after another fantastic performance, but Mourinho rejected the idea that any player is beyond replacement.
“No, no one is indispensable. We were losing control when I made the substitutions; Vini did a great job on defence, but he was very tired.
“And Arda, who was playing in the number 10 position, was also losing intensity.
“I brought in a fresh Jude and Brahim when we were down 0-2, but I could sense we were losing control. That’s how it goes for us. And then, we brought in the heavy artillery and turned it around.”
Mourinho was also pleased with Aurelien Tchouameni and Federico Valverde during Madrid’s strongest spells.
“When the team was playing well, he and Valverde were playing well. They broke through the pressure easily, with skill.
“But the game had two phases—or rather three: one until it was 0–2, another until it was 2–2, and another until the end. They did a good job,” he concluded.
Source: AS
