Mourinho says Militao return can restore Real Madrid’s defensive security

Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho says Eder Militao’s return from a lengthy injury absence can help improve the team’s defensive security, although the Brazil defender needs time to regain his fitness and confidence.

Militao returned to training only three weeks ago, but he featured in the squad as Real Madrid beat Sevilla 4-1 at Santiago Bernabeu in the ninth round of La Liga.

“Only three weeks have passed since he returned to training after a long absence, and he still has a lot ahead of him,” Mourinho told Real Madrid’s channel.

“But during training we can see the extent of his ability – tactically, technically and emotionally, as well as in the way he reads the game.”

Mourinho added: “We have to wait and give him these opportunities so that he can recover his confidence. He is a wonderful player.

“With Asensio’s lengthy absence, we had been missing the feeling of security that comes from having four defenders in the heart of the defence, and his return will help us improve.”

Real Madrid secured a convincing victory through two goals from Kylian Mbappe, along with strikes by Arda Guler and Yan Diomande. Manuel Sebastian scored Sevilla’s only goal.

The result moved Real Madrid to 21 points in third place, while Sevilla remained on 14 points in sixth.

Mourinho said his side had responded well after a demanding match against Roma.

“We played a great game,” he said. “The match against Roma was extremely difficult, but the team knew how to react. We are one team and we are working to improve, even though we have only worked together for a very short time.”

The Real Madrid manager also highlighted the limited preparation time available before the club’s next fixture.

“It is difficult to have the calm enjoyed by managers at other clubs, given the size of Real Madrid,” he said. “But we make use of every minute available to us.

“We will train tomorrow because we have a match on Wednesday against a team that played yesterday and already has an advantage over us.”

Real Madrid face Leipzig in the Champions League, with Mourinho outlining two targets for the league phase.

“We have two objectives across the eight matches in the Champions League league phase,” he said. “The first is to qualify, and the second is to finish in the top eight, which would spare us from playing two additional matches.”

Mourinho warned that Leipzig would pose a greater threat after losing to Bayern Munich.

“Leipzig go into the match wounded after their defeat by Bayern Munich, and that makes them more dangerous,” he said.

Yan Diomande provided an assist in two consecutive matches in all competitions for the first time in his career in Europe’s major leagues.

At 19 years and 338 days, he also became the first player under the age of 20 to score and assist in the same La Liga match for the team during the 21st century. He surpassed the previous record held by Jude Bellingham, who achieved it at 20 years and 51 days.