Mourinho says Real Madrid’s perfect start will not last as Camavinga impresses

Jose Mourinho warned that Real Madrid must expect defeat, injuries and criticism despite their emphatic 4-0 victory over Malaga in the third round of La Liga.

The Real Madrid manager praised his side’s performance while stressing that a difficult period would eventually arrive. He also singled out Eduardo Camavinga for recognition, saying the midfielder “does not receive much love” despite producing an excellent display.

“Our objective was to keep a clean sheet and work well,” Mourinho told Marca. “We cannot always attack aggressively. Sometimes the opposition gets forward, and we have to defend well.”

Real Madrid have now scored 10 goals in their opening three matches, but Mourinho said he would be equally satisfied by a more narrowly won contest.

“We have already scored 10 goals in three matches, but we will win one of them 1-0 and leave just as happy,” he said.

Mourinho also confirmed that he intends to make several changes before the next match against Real Sociedad. Squad rotation, he explained, was designed to ensure that players with the same level of quality receive opportunities.

“Rotation? That is my objective. I told the players that I would make many changes before the Real Sociedad match,” he said. “I want to play players who have the same quality as the others. It is the coach’s choice, not that one player has more or less quality, because everyone has quality.”

The Portuguese was pleased that supporters had enjoyed the result but suggested the second half offered a different kind of satisfaction.

“It is important that the fans enjoyed themselves, but if people have an understanding of what high-level football means, they should also enjoy the second half,” Mourinho said.

He highlighted the team’s defensive contribution, including an incident involving Vinicius Junior.

“We saw a team working well defensively, and we saw Vinicius Junior lose the ball, then come back to defend and win it back,” he added.

Mourinho said football could not be judged solely by spectacular attacking moments. “Football is not only about enjoying the beauty of goals. You cannot score 121 goals in one season unless you have top-class players in attack,” he said.

On complaints from Malaga about the officiating, Mourinho offered a brief response: “They do not deserve comment.”

Individual praise

Mourinho was particularly impressed by Dean Huijsen, praising both his ability on the ball and his physical approach.

“I spoke to him, and I really like the fact that the centre-back has quality in dealing with the ball and can play passes between the lines,” Mourinho said. “But for me, the most important things are his strength and decisiveness, his confidence, and his ability to win duels. He has improved a lot. He was dominant and decisive, and that is the version I want.”

Jude Bellingham was also praised for his demanding nature and outstanding performance. Mourinho said he had not wanted the England midfielder to spend the match defending almost like “a second left-back”, describing him as “an incredible player”.

“But today, a player who does not receive much love played a great match, and that was Camavinga,” Mourinho said.

The manager also addressed the relationship between Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Bellingham, insisting that high-quality players naturally want to operate together.

“Good players always want to play together because they have the same speed of thought and the same quality, and they should always be compatible,” he said.

There had been suggestions that the coach did not want all three players in the same team. Mourinho rejected that idea, saying: “What was said was that the coach did not want the three players, but what I say is that I always want the best.”

On Ousmane Diomande, Mourinho urged patience while discussing the expectations created by a significant transfer fee.

“How much did we pay for him? Usually, when a player costs that amount of money, people expect him to arrive and produce an extraordinary performance immediately,” he said. “But he is very young, and we have to remain calm. He is performing very well, but step by step.”

Mourinho ended by warning that Real Madrid’s strong beginning could not shield them from the normal difficulties of a season.

“A bad period will come, an important player will suffer an injury, your criticism will come, and defeat will come,” he said. “All of that will happen because these things always happen. At that time, we have to draw on all the strength of the team we are building. In those moments, we must remain balanced and not allow a negative period to affect the entire season.”