Mourinho tells Real Madrid players to earn their place in demanding season

Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho has challenged his players to “fight” for their squad places after his side moved top of La Liga with a convincing 4-0 victory over Malaga.

Several of Madrid’s leading players impressed in Sunday night’s win, but Mourinho stressed that squad members who are not selected regularly must remain focused and respond through their performances and attitude.

“It’s a difficult mission, not a one-month thing, but a season-long one,” Mourinho said.

The Portuguese coach was asked about the frustration felt by players who have found themselves out of the starting line-up. He said managing that disappointment was primarily the responsibility of the players themselves, rather than something he could solve for them.

“The frustration of those who aren’t playing is something that’s more in the players’ hands than in mine.

“I can show that I trust them all. They have to manage it themselves. Today, Trent and Cucurella played, and Carreras and Dumfries didn’t.”

Mourinho has a deep group of high-quality options competing for positions across the team. His message is that each player has an opportunity to influence his decisions, but must make the most of that chance when it arrives.

The selection battle was illustrated by the changes made for the win over Malaga, with Trent and Cucurella starting while Carreras and Dumfries were left out. Mourinho believes competition for places should encourage every member of the squad to maintain the required standards over the course of the campaign.

Real Madrid’s attacking players also featured prominently in the victory. Jude Bellingham scored and helped create another goal through an effort which led to an own goal, while Kylian Mbappe produced an impressive finish.

Vinicius Junior supplied an assist and created several further opportunities for his team-mates as Madrid recorded a convincing result and climbed to the summit of the La Liga standings.

There has been ongoing discussion about whether Real Madrid can consistently field Bellingham, Vinicius Junior and Mbappe together, given the attacking importance of all three. Mourinho, however, rejected the suggestion that their presence in the same team created a problem.

“Very, very good players want to play together,” Mourinho said.

“With people of their quality, with their speed of thought and decision-making, they always have to be compatible.

“There was a lot of talk that Mou didn’t want one player, then another, then another. I always want the best. If there’s empathy, teamwork, I don’t see any problem; I see that they’re good.”

Mourinho’s position is clear: every player in the Real Madrid squad can earn a place, but selection will depend on how they perform and how they respond when they are not involved.

The league leaders return to La Liga action on Friday, when they play Real Betis at the Estadio de La Cartuja in Seville.