José Mourinho opened Sunday's press conference with a sobering message: "We are not a finished product, in football it is difficult to be one." The Portuguese coach, who has been in charge of Real Madrid for just three months, tried to put into perspective the expectations for the next Clasico against Barcelona, highlighting the differences in progress between the two teams.
Mourinho began by talking about Barça's recent result against PSG, saying he doesn't believe the Catalan club's defeat will affect their mentality. "I don't think losing a game changes their mood or their confidence. If instead of winning 4-1 against Leipzig we had lost 1-4, my mood going into this match would have been the same," he explained. The coach then highlighted how opinions on Barcelona, often praised, and Real Madrid, more criticized, differ: "A week ago people thought they would beat us by a large margin, and they will continue to think so. The fact that Barcelona is spoken of well doesn't concern me. To be honest, there are moments when it deserves praise because it does very good things."
The central point of his interview was the construction process of Real Madrid. Mourinho reiterated that the team is not yet a "finished product": "We are far from being a finished product. We are at the beginning: the coach is getting to know and analyzing the players, defining a path, and they are getting to know him. It doesn't seem right to me to compare a team at this stage with another that has been working together for several years." He also recalled that the preparation was characterized by weekly meetings in groups of two and by a break for the national teams, elements that slowed down the integration process.
Mourinho then spoke about Lamine Yamal, a young talent who represents a threat to the opposing defence. "They're all good, the same happens at Real Madrid. He's a great player and the greats must be respected. But it's one thing to respect them, it's another to change plans, structures and forget your essence. We won't do that, neither against him nor against another player of enormous quality," he declared.
As for Blaugrana coach Hansi Flick, Mourinho chose not to elaborate: "I don't understand why you ask me questions about our opponents. What do you want me to say about Flick? He's a great coach and he's doing an excellent job. I can't say anything else." With these words, the Real Madrid coach closed the conference, leaving the fans with a clear message: the team is under construction and the future is still being defined, while the next Clasico approaches with the same determination as always.