José Mourinho sees “three different Real Madrids” in Fiorentina friendly

José Mourinho spoke to Real Madrid TV after his team’s draw against Fiorentina in its third preseason friendly, following two closed-door training games against Alcorcón and Leganés.

Mourinho’s “three different Real Madrids”

“I saw a Real Madrid with three different faces: fresh, tired, and exhausted,” Mourinho said.

“The fresh team played really well. Being up just 2-1 at halftime didn’t reflect how good we were. It was an outstanding first half, and we easily could have been leading 3-0 or 4-0.

“Then the game became much more physical. They started pressing us, and that’s when we saw the second version of the team. Defending inside the penalty area with two kids like Joan (Martínez) and Mario (Rivas)... They both had an outstanding game, but physically they’re not ready yet to deal with someone like Moise Kean.

“The third version, which I actually liked a lot, was the exhausted team. Even though the players were running on empty, they stayed together, stayed organized, and managed to take control of the game again.

“Denzel Dumfries and Endrick had trained for only three days and still played more than 70 minutes. That was a tremendous effort, and it means a lot to me. I thanked them for what they gave us today. I liked everything.”

Mourinho explains his biggest takeaway

Asked what conclusions he drew from the match, Mourinho pointed to the limitations of a squad still missing several key players.

“This is the Real Madrid we have available right now,” he said. “I told the players before the game that Real Madrid is Real Madrid, even if it’s only a preseason friendly.

“Today I had to put the ‘grown-ups,’ so to speak, on the field because that’s who I had available. We’d only had one training session together, where we did a little organizational work.

“The young guys who played, Joan and Mario, have fantastic futures. As long as the game wasn’t decided by physicality, they were outstanding and showed tremendous quality.

“Of the seven first-team players we had available, two had trained only three times. Then we brought on poor Carlos Espi, who’s still waking up from a dream. He trained for about an hour yesterday, and today he got to experience what playing for Real Madrid is all about.

“I’m very happy with the work the players have done since day one. What worries me is not having the rest of the squad. I’d love to have everyone together for three weeks, but that’s not possible.

“On Monday, Vinicius Jr., Brahim Díaz, and Bernardo Silva arrive. Dumfries, Carlos, and Endrick will have a few more training sessions under their belts, and we’ll keep building until the rest of the group joins us.”

What returning to the Real Madrid bench means for Mourinho

When asked what it felt like to manage Real Madrid again, Mourinho kept his answer brief.

“Nothing yet. The real games haven’t started.”

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