José Mourinho has stated that he does not feel he owes Real Madrid anything from his first spell at the club, stressing that the situation then and now is completely different.
The Portuguese coach spoke ahead of the Champions League league-phase clash with Inter, making it clear that his only objective at the Santiago Bernabéu is to win.
“I want to win. I could say I want us to play well, but we also played well against Betis and lost. So, I want to win,” Mourinho said at his press conference.
Mourinho Pleased with the Players’ Reaction
Real Madrid head into the match after suffering their first defeat of the season against Betis, but Mourinho said he was pleased with the team’s reaction.
“I saw them exactly as I want to see them. After the match, they were devastated in the dressing room, but then they reacted very well in Sunday’s training session. Today, everything is completely back to normal,” he said.
The Portuguese coach added that analysing the match had convinced him even more that his team had produced a good performance.
“The more we analyse the game, the more convinced we are that we played well. We were up against a strong team, and the mistakes we made are not typical of us.”
“We are in good shape. We have a few problems in midfield ahead of tomorrow’s match, but we will play and compete.”
Strong Memories of the Bernabéu
Mourinho has special memories of Real Madrid’s stadium, both positive and negative.
“At the Bernabéu, I won the Champions League with Inter against Bayern Munich, but I also lost a semi-final with Real Madrid against Bayern on penalties.”
“I experienced some of the best and worst moments of my career here,” he said.
When asked whether Trent Alexander-Arnold could be used in midfield against Inter, Mourinho refused to reveal anything.
“I won’t comment on that,” was his response.
“I Owe Real Madrid Nothing”
One of the main questions at the press conference was whether Mourinho feels he still owes Real Madrid a Champions League triumph.
His response was unequivocal.
“No. They are two completely different periods. My work there at the time ended in 2013. We won what we won and lost what we lost. We gave everything we had, and that chapter came to an end.”
According to Mourinho, there is no point in linking the current period with his previous spell.
“This has absolutely nothing to do with the past. We are talking about two completely different moments in Real Madrid’s history.”
“Before Me, Real Madrid Weren’t Even Reaching the Quarter-Finals”
Mourinho also recalled the situation Real Madrid were in when he took charge of the team in 2010.
“In 2010, Real Madrid weren’t reaching the quarter-finals and had not played in a Champions League semi-final for many years.”
“Now the club has won six Champions League titles. They are completely different periods,” the Portuguese coach said.
During his first spell in Madrid, Mourinho guided Real Madrid to three consecutive Champions League semi-finals, but he was unable to win the trophy.
The Goal Now Is to Win the Champions League with Real Madrid
Nevertheless, the former Inter coach did not hide his desire to win Europe’s most prestigious trophy with Real Madrid.
“If you ask me whether I would like to win the Champions League with Real Madrid, of course I would,” Mourinho said.
“But that is a completely separate matter from what happened during my previous spell.”
Real Madrid will therefore begin their new Champions League campaign with the aim of defeating Inter, while Mourinho will look to write a new chapter in his history with the Madrid club.