Mourinho: “The First Half Was the Coach’s Fault, the Second Half Was the Players’ Credit”

Mourinho: “The first half was the coach’s fault, the second half was the players’ credit”Real Madrid came from 1-3 down to beat Roma 4-3 away from home in the Champions League. After the match, head coach José Mourinho discussed La Liga’s decision to suspend Vinícius Júnior.A poor first half and an excellent second half: How much responsibility lies with the coach and the players?“The first half was the coach’s fault, and the second half was the players’ credit.”Should the coach learn from this experience?In my view, doing the right thing has always been my principle. I never want to do anything wrong. I have always believed that whoever performs well deserves to play.

But football is a strategic game that lasts 90 minutes. The opposition have their own tactical plans and will fight hard as well. Our opponents today were extremely strong. They are a formidable team. I knew their energy levels would eventually drop. The way they were playing, they simply could not maintain that intensity for 90 minutes.

I made the substitutions I believed were necessary, but we were completely dominated in the first half. They pushed Soulé out wide, which caught us by surprise and made it very difficult for Cucurella to move across and defend against Wesley. Cucurella was often left in a two-against-one situation.

After reorganising the team at half-time, we became more stable. Unfortunately, that was exactly when we conceded an avoidable goal.

If we had conceded four or five goals, you would have called me crazy. But because we won, you will say my first-half plan was terrible. Still, we have taken six points against two of Italy’s best teams, Inter and Roma.You were furious when Roma scored their second goal.You are a journalist, but can I ask you a question? Is it normal for a player to find out he has been suspended for four matches just two hours before kick-off?

You don't need to answer. Is that normal? Could they not have announced it now or tomorrow morning? Did they really have to announce it while we were on our way to the stadium?

There is a Portuguese saying: “Gato escondido com a cola asomada” — literally, “a hidden cat with its tail sticking out.”

I think this cat is no longer even trying to hide. It is walking around freely, doing whatever it wants without any restraint.

Two hours before kick-off, a player from a team that earned three points for La Liga...

I don't think that is normal. But now I think it has become normal, because the cat is no longer hiding.

What else do you want to ask?Vinícius's performanceThe problem in the first half was my responsibility, although you could also say it was down to Gasperini. He positioned Soulé in that area, where he and Wesley frequently created two-against-one situations to put us under pressure. That made things very difficult for Vinícius.

In the second half, I gave Vinícius more freedom and allowed him to switch to the other flank. Once Wesley was matched up against Diomande, he also began to run out of energy.

Vinícius lost possession once when he really should not have, but what is done is done. I make mistakes too.

Just as he was gradually regaining his form and starting to feel happy again, this happened. It is a real shame.Two wins from two matches: Is the Champions League the remedy for Real Madrid?La Liga is La Liga, and the Champions League is the Champions League.

We have won both of our matches and collected six points. The Champions League campaign is not over yet, but this is a very important result for us. We still have six matches to play, and we have already faced two top-class opponents.Vinícius looked unhappy with the substitution.It is normal for him to be unhappy. If he had thrown a water bottle, as many players do, that would have been different. I don't like that kind of behaviour.

It is perfectly normal to feel frustrated, but after the match, he was still happy about the victory.Did you speak to Vinícius before the match?Players have to make an effort to control their emotions, and I have to do the same. After all, I was playing at a stadium that used to be my home, against people I love dearly.

Players should be capable of doing that too, and he handled it very well.

“The way we played in the first half was down to Gasperini, not Vinícius. If you want to blame someone, blame Gasperini.”The substitutes played a decisive role.“If we had started with the same 11 players who finished the match, we might have conceded five goals.”

That is because you simply cannot withstand the opposition's high-intensity pressure like that.

The same coach can be called an idiot because of a tactical mistake one day, then hailed as a genius because of the right decisions on another day.

I won't claim that I had everything perfectly planned from the beginning and knew exactly how to turn 3-1 into 3-4. But I did consider making some adjustments for the closing stages.

I told the players that someone like Mancini would find it difficult to play the entire match while carrying a yellow card. Given the way they play, they were bound to face plenty of difficult situations.

Once Hermoso began to run out of energy, Endrick came on.

So, give me some credit. I did get a few things right.I would still like to ask you about that saying involving the cat.“All I ask for is a minimum level of respect.”

We played in Athens on Wednesday night, returned to Madrid at 5 a.m., and then had to travel to Valencia again on Saturday. Scheduling things this way over the weekend before the international break makes absolutely no sense.

I don't think it was accidental. I don't believe television broadcasting is to blame every single time. I'm old enough to know better.

As for Vinícius finding out two hours before kick-off that he had been given a four-match suspension... that speaks for itself.

People at Real Madrid are not fools.What is your assessment of Espi?He is continuing to improve.

I have to say that when I learned Gonzalo might leave, I was disappointed because he is a player I really like. It was also a good deal for Real Madrid. The club gave me three options, and Espi was one of them.

For an attacking player, playing in the same team as Kylian (Mbappé) is not easy. Given Mbappé's quality, it is difficult to leave him out or rotate him.

“Will I rotate Mbappé for the upcoming match against Sevilla? No, I won't.”

But opportunities will come. Whenever Espi gets a chance, he always responds well.