Mourinho warns defeat is inevitable as Camavinga earns praise after Real Madrid win

Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho said his side must expect a defeat, an important injury and a period of criticism despite their impressive 4-0 victory over Malaga in the third round of La Liga.

Mourinho praised several of his players after the result, while insisting that the team’s early run of form would eventually be tested.

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

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

“We have already scored 10 goals in three matches, but we will win one of the games 1-0 and leave with the same happiness,” he said.

The Portuguese manager also confirmed that he plans to make several changes before the match against Real Sociedad. He said rotation was designed to give players of similar quality opportunities rather than reflect a difference in their ability.

“Rotation? That is my objective. I told the players that I would make a lot of changes before the Real Sociedad match. I want to involve players who have the same quality as the others. It is a choice for the manager, not because one player has more or less quality, because everyone has quality,” Mourinho said.

He urged supporters to appreciate the defensive side of the performance as well as the attacking football that attracted attention in the first half.

“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,” he added.

Mourinho highlighted one moment involving Vinicius Junior, who lost possession before immediately retreating to win the ball back.

“We saw a team working well defensively, and we saw Vinicius Junior lose the ball, then return to defend and recover it,” he said.

He added that football could not be judged solely by the quality of a team’s goals, pointing to the attacking talent required to produce a record-breaking campaign.

“Football is not only about enjoying the beauty of goals. You cannot score 121 goals in one season unless you have top-class attacking players,” Mourinho said.

Asked about complaints from Malaga regarding the refereeing, Mourinho replied: “They do not deserve a comment.”

Mourinho praises Huijsen, Bellingham and Camavinga

Mourinho was particularly pleased with Dean Huijsen’s display. He said the centre-back’s ability to use the ball and pass between the lines was valuable, but identified his physical strength and mentality as even more important.

“I spoke to him, and I really like that the centre-back has quality when dealing with the ball and can play passes between the lines. But for me, the most important thing is 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,” he said.

Jude Bellingham also received praise, although Mourinho said he had not wanted the England midfielder to spend too much of the match defending as if he were “almost a second left-back”.

“He demands a lot from himself, and from others as well. I did not want him to defend almost like a second left-back. He is an amazing player,” Mourinho said.

However, Mourinho said Eduardo Camavinga was the player who most deserved recognition after an excellent performance.

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

On the relationship between Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Bellingham, Mourinho said players of their quality should naturally be able to combine.

“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.

Responding to suggestions that the manager did not want all three players in the same team, Mourinho added: “What was said was that the coach did not want the three players, but what I say is that I always want the best.”

He also called for patience with Ousmane Diomande, saying young players who arrive for a significant fee are often expected to produce immediately.

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

The Real Madrid manager ended by warning that difficult moments were unavoidable.

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