Real Madrid News
Liverpool boss hails Real Madrid for their mentality – ‘One of the best examples’
The recently concluded UEFA Champions League match-day was hard-fought and featured many interesting match-ups on both sides of the draw.
The Madrid derby was one of the biggest attractions, while Barcelona’s win over Benfica and Bayern Munich’s win over Bayer Leverkusen were games to savor.
A second game that was seen as a top-tier heavyweight battle was the fixture between PSG and Liverpool at Parc des Princes.
On the night, PSG dominated and deserved to win by a healthy lead but it was Liverpool who took home the win after an extra-terrestrial Allison performance and a late Harvey Elliot goal.
Liverpool manager draws Real Madrid comparison
Speaking to the media earlier today, Liverpool manager Arne Slot reflected on his team’s poor performance against PSG but refused to undervalue the result.
“If you want to win something, whether it’s the Premier League, the League Cup, the Champions League, or the FA Cup, you need, sometimes, to have a game in which you don’t play your best football and have some ‘luck’,” he said, stating the importance of good fortune.
He then went on to explain how Real Madrid were the best example of his stance on the situation and elaborated on how Los Blancos are not necessarily the better team in games they win.
“There are no teams that play 38 league games or the Champions League only with good football. I think Real Madrid is one of the best examples of this.”
“They also find a way to win a game even if the other team plays better and that’s what they do,” he added, defending his team’s result.
The manager’s idea, needless to say, cannot be completely refuted as it is indeed true that Real Madrid’s runs to titles have seldom been decorated by dominant and perfect displays.
In the end, it is Los Blancos’ mentality and never-say-never attitude that establishes them as the best in the world. As easy as it is to say, however, replicating that level of self-confidence is far from simple.
Source: SPORT
Real Madrid News
Mourinho reacts to Vinicius suspension: “Why announce it two hours before an important match?”
Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho has questioned the RFEF Disciplinary Committee’s decision to announce Vinicius Jr.’s four-match suspension just hours before their UEFA Champions League meeting with AS Roma on Wednesday.
The Brazilian has been hit with a four-match ban for his red card against Villarreal, meaning he will miss the matches against Sevilla, Barcelona, Racing Santander, and Valencia.
And, speaking to Movistar+ (h/t MARCA) before the match, the Real Madrid manager was asked whether the punishment could affect the Brazilian psychologically.
Mourinho instead turned his attention to the football authorities and the timing of their announcement.
“I think that is a question for the Committee. Why have they announced the suspension at this particular moment? If you are asking me this question, it is presumably because you think it could affect him,” the Portuguese coach replied.
“You should ask the Committee why they did not announce it this morning, or tomorrow morning. Why do they do it two hours before a match that is important for Real Madrid, which is a Spanish club?” he added, questioning the timing of the decision.
Mourinho explains his tactical approach against Roma
The Real Madrid manager also outlined his plan for facing a Roma side known for their aggressive pressing.
“My intention is to stop them from pressing us so high up the pitch, given the players we have available and as a precaution,” he said.
Continuing, the Portuguese manager added: “They press man-to-man higher up the pitch better than anyone else, and we will see whether we can take advantage of that. If not, they will have to drop their press five or ten metres.”
Why Rudiger over Huijsen
Mourinho also justified his decision to start Antonio Rudiger at centre-back alongside Ibrahima Konate rather than Dean Huijsen.
“They played very well together in the last match, Rudiger and Konate, showing great leadership and the ability to withstand a difficult situation when we had ten men for 30 minutes,” he said.
“I am not saying Dean is not capable of playing a match like this, but this is a wonderful atmosphere for Roma and a difficult one for us. I think a player with Antonio’s experience can be important,” Mourinho added.
Finally, Mourinho was asked about his emotions ahead of returning to face Roma, the club he managed between 2021 and 2024.
The Portuguese coach offered a brief response, saying that he had his feelings about the occasion “blocked”.
