Mourinho praises Real Madrid unity after Valencia win and takes aim at fixture schedule

Jose Mourinho says Real Madrid’s players are fully united and are driving the team’s run of victories after their 3-0 win over Valencia at Mestalla in the 12th round of La Liga.

Real Madrid moved on to 30 points and remain second, level on goal difference with Barcelona, who face Atletico Madrid on Sunday evening.

Mourinho criticised the club’s schedule after the match, saying it was unreasonable for his side to play on Sunday, Wednesday and then Saturday.

“Is this a message to Javier Tebas? No, there is no message,” Mourinho said at his post-match news conference. “I have to remain humble because they have all the power. All I ask is that they do not do things like this to us again.

“We play on Sunday, then Wednesday, then Saturday. It makes no sense. Barcelona and Athletic Club played on Tuesday and Sunday, while we had to sleep at the training ground because we returned from Greece at three in the morning. I ask them to leave us alone.”

Mourinho rejected the suggestion that he alone had brought the squad together, instead giving the credit to his players.

“Was bringing everyone together a success? No, all the credit belongs to the players,” he said. “They did it and they are now united. Honestly, I do not know if there is anything specific I did to unite them. I simply do my job.

“They are the ones giving everything, individually and as a team. They are doing all they can to help one another and to help the team as a whole.”

He pointed to one moment during the match as evidence of the team’s collective spirit. After Real Madrid lost possession, Arda was out of position and Kylian Mbappe sprinted back to cover for him.

“At one point in the game, we lost the ball and Arda was away from his position,” Mourinho said. “Mbappe ran back at full speed and covered his team-mate’s place. That moment sums up everything about how united this team is.

“From experience, I can tell you that I have a good feeling about this team.”

The Portuguese manager also compared the atmosphere at Mestalla with the one at Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu.

“In a stadium like Mestalla, the supporters actively take part in the match,” he said. “They protest and shout at every decision made by the referee. It may be different at the Santiago Bernabeu, where our supporters sit and watch the match calmly.”

Mourinho added that Real Madrid had not suffered a loss of confidence after their defeat in the derby.

“We did not feel that things started to fall apart after the derby defeat,” he said. “We understand exactly why we lost that match, and we knew how to improve and win afterwards. We remained calm and our performance developed. That is all.”

Mourinho said he told Valencia manager Javier Aguirre after the game: “Do not be sad, Aguirre. My players are simply much better than yours. It is not Aguirre’s fault, so do not blame him.”

He ended by saying: “I am exhausted and have a fever. If I do not die, I will watch American football tomorrow.”