Mourinho reveals Real Madrid plan for Inter Champions League clash
José Mourinho has made it clear that Real Madrid will approach their Champions League opener against Inter Milan with one objective: victory.
The Real Madrid coach addressed the media at Ciudad Real Madrid ahead of Tuesday night's meeting with Inter at the Santiago Bernabéu, insisting that playing well will mean little to him if his team do not collect the result they want.
Mourinho acknowledged that the Champions League league phase contains several matches, but he does not want his players looking beyond their opening fixture. Real Madrid will play eight matches in this phase, with qualification the ultimate objective, but the Portuguese coach wants his team fully focused on Inter.
The match is scheduled for 9pm CEST at the Bernabéu.
Mourinho wants Real Madrid to win
Mourinho was unequivocal about his priorities before the Inter clash.
The Real Madrid boss said he would rather win than simply produce an attractive performance, pointing to the disappointment of playing well against Real Betis but failing to get the desired result.
He also believes his players have recovered well from that previous match. Mourinho said he liked what he saw from the squad after the game in Seville, with the players exhausted immediately afterwards, recovered during Sunday's training session and back to normal by Monday.
After reviewing the Betis performance, Mourinho said the team remained convinced that it had played well together and that the chances missed in the game were an anomaly.
He acknowledged that Real Madrid have some issues ahead of the Inter match but insisted they are ready to compete and aim for victory.
Every point matters in Champions League League Phase
Mourinho does not view the Inter fixture as decisive, but he still believes every point carries importance.
Unlike the previous Champions League group-stage format, the current phase gives teams a longer route through the competition. Mourinho stressed that Tuesday's game will not decide qualification because there are still seven matches remaining.
He expects both Real Madrid and Inter to have strong chances of progressing, but believes the two clubs will ultimately be judged more seriously once the competition reaches its decisive stages.
For now, however, he wants Real Madrid to treat Inter as a standalone challenge and fight for the points at home.
Mourinho keeps Inter team selection Secret
Mourinho refused to reveal how he intends to deal with Real Madrid's absences. He confirmed that three players are unavailable through suspension but declined to discuss the potential midfield options available to him.
The coach suggested there could be three, four or even five possibilities, but made it clear that he would not provide Inter with any clues before kick-off. That secrecy could leave Real Madrid supporters waiting until matchday to discover how Mourinho intends to reshape his side.
Endrick could feature against Inter
Endrick could make a brief appearance after returning to training with the first team. Mourinho explained that the young attacker only trained with the squad for the first time on Monday and has not played since a friendly match in Budapest or Austria.
As a result, the coach believes Endrick is only capable of playing around five or 10 minutes at most. However, with Real Madrid's bench offering more space because of the absences, Endrick has been included and could potentially receive some playing time. Mourinho confirmed that he would be used as an attacking player.
Mourinho draws lessons from Real Madrid's past
The Inter fixture carries some personal history for Mourinho, who has experienced both success and disappointment at the Bernabéu in the Champions League.
He recalled winning a Champions League at the stadium and also suffering a semi-final defeat on penalties. However, Mourinho insisted that he is not allowing those memories to influence his preparation for the current match.
He described his previous spell at Real Madrid as a closed chapter and stressed that the present team represents a completely different period in the club's history.
Mourinho admitted that winning the Champions League with Real Madrid would obviously excite him, but said that ambition is separate from anything he failed to accomplish during his earlier tenure.
Mourinho reunites with former Inter player Chivu
The match will also bring Mourinho up against Cristian Chivu, his former player and a figure he clearly retains a strong affection for.
Mourinho described Chivu as someone who will always be one of his players and said he was delighted with how his former defender's coaching career is developing.
The pair are expected to embrace before and after the match, but Mourinho made the competitive nature of the encounter clear.
Once the game begins, the friendship will take a back seat as Mourinho attempts to guide Real Madrid to victory over Inter.
Mourinho calls for more stability at Real Madrid
Mourinho also discussed the environment he has found at Real Madrid and argued that the club must build greater stability. He acknowledged that the club had experienced a difficult previous season and said difficult periods naturally create areas that need improvement.
Mourinho contrasted Real Madrid with Inter, describing the Italian club as an example of stability despite changes in management over recent years. He pointed to consistency in the club's dynamics, structure and transfer market strategy as qualities Real Madrid should seek to develop.
Despite those differences, Mourinho stressed that the expectation at Real Madrid remains unchanged: the club wants to win every match and every competition.
Mourinho questions VAR decision against Betis
The Real Madrid coach also returned to the controversial penalty incident from the defeat to Betis. Mourinho said Real Madrid lost because they failed to turn their attacking production into goals, rather than solely because of the refereeing decision.
However, he questioned why the penalty was not retaken and called for the responsible officials to explain the decision. He raised concerns about whether VAR had failed to apply the rules correctly or had simply chosen not to intervene. Mourinho also questioned why the referee was not sent to the monitor if there was uncertainty over the decision.
At the same time, he stressed that Real Madrid could still have missed the retaken penalty and did not want the decision presented as the sole reason for the defeat.
Mourinho also questions Vinicius ' yellow card
Mourinho raised another issue from the Betis match involving Real Madrid captain Vinicius. The coach questioned why Vinicius was booked while approaching the referee, pointing to the expectation that captains should be able to politely and non-aggressively seek explanations from officials.
Mourinho said he would also like an explanation for that decision.
Mourinho has attempted to remove the emotional distractions surrounding the fixture and present Real Madrid vs Inter as a straightforward battle for three Champions League points.
The Bernabéu meeting will carry additional significance because of Mourinho's history with Inter and his relationship with Chivu, but the Real Madrid coach insists those emotions can wait until after the final whistle.
His message to his players is simple: compete, stay focused and win.
With Real Madrid beginning their Champions League campaign against an Inter side Mourinho regards as a model of stability, Tuesday's encounter offers an early test of the team's European ambitions.
SportsLigue
