Mourinho identifies three versions of Real Madrid after Fiorentina draw

Jose Mourinho praised Real Madrid’s resilience after they drew 2-2 with Fiorentina in a pre-season friendly, saying he was particularly impressed by how the team responded when exhaustion reached its highest point.

The match was Real Madrid’s second warm-up fixture ahead of the new season, and Mourinho said the performance gave him a clear picture of how his squad coped with different stages of the game.

“I saw three different faces of Real Madrid: a fresh team, then a tired team and, finally, a completely exhausted team,” Mourinho told Real Madrid’s television channel.

The former Chelsea, Manchester United and Roma manager said the final phase of the match had provided the most encouraging evidence of his players’ character.

“What I liked most was the third face of the team, when the players were extremely tired. Even so, the team remained compact and regained control of the game,” he added.

Mourinho also highlighted the contribution of Carlos Espi, who made his first appearance for Real Madrid after joining the squad’s preparations and had trained with the group for only one hour on the previous day.

“I played Carlos Espi, who is still living his dream. He trained with us for only one hour yesterday, but he helped us today, while at the same time beginning to understand what it means to play for Real Madrid,” Mourinho said.

The game also marked the first appearances in a Real Madrid shirt for new arrivals Denzel Dumfries and Carlos Espi.

Mourinho confirmed that several international players are due to report for duty on Monday as preparations continue. Vinicius Junior, Brahim Diaz and Bernardo Silva are expected to join the squad then, while Denzel Dumfries and Endrick will have benefited from additional training days.

“On Monday, Vinicius Junior, Brahim Diaz and Bernardo Silva will join us, while Dumfries and Endrick will have had extra training days. We will continue working until the squad is complete,” Mourinho said.

Real Madrid began their pre-season programme with a 4-1 victory over Leganes before facing Fiorentina in their second friendly. Their next scheduled test is against Hungarian side Ferencvarosi TC on 8 August.

The club will then turn its attention to the start of the La Liga campaign. Real Madrid are due to open their league season against Espanyol on 22 August.

The comments came after a match in which Mourinho’s side were unable to maintain the level of their opening stages throughout the contest, but still earned his approval for staying organised and recovering control late on despite the physical demands of pre-season.