Jose Mourinho brutally accepts that to avert crisis
talks at Real Madrid this season he will have to win La Liga and
the Champions League.
“Failure is unthinkable,” said Mourinho as he prepares for his
new club’s opening league fixture of the season at Real Mallorca
this evening.
He told Sunday Mirror Sport: “I love pressure and thrive under a
challenge and they don’t come any bigger than this.
“I have not come to Madrid to be a loser.
“Naturally I have confidence in my own ability.
“I have a proven track record of success. I did it at Porto,
Chelsea and Inter Milan.
“I will do it at Real Madrid as well. If I didn’t feel I could
deliver I wouldn’t be here.
“Naturally the expectations are high and people expect Madrid to
be a success under me. But I can live with that.”
Mourinho’s analysis is spot on After leading Inter Milan to
Serie A and Champions League glory he was persuaded to move to the
Bernabeu.
A year earlier Madrid had flashed their chequebook and spent
£250million on new players as they indulged coach Manuel
Pelligrini.
The spending spree failed and arch-rivals Barcelona retained
the domestic crown.
Mourinho had been recruited before Pellegrini had even left the
building. The former Chelsea manager signed a four-year contract
worth a staggering £44m.
Yet Mourinho insisted: “Money doesn’t motivate me. I just look
at a project and if it’s challenging and demanding enough I’ll
consider taking it on.
“It has been a difficult pre-season taking into account we have
six new players at the club and a new coach.
“Tactically we have not been able to adjust to a new style of
play under the circumstances, but I have no doubt in the ability
of this team and what can be achieved.
“This is a very young squad, but full of quality.”
Mourinho – aiming to be the first man to win titles in three
major European leagues – is also well aware that Spain is on a
sporting high.
The national team that won the European Championship returned
from South Africa as World Cup winners.
Nowhere has the honour of being the finest football nation on
the planet been celebrated more than in Madrid.
Mourinho can recognise the confidence coursing through Spanish
football veins.
And he also has a certain Portuguese star called Cristiano
Ronaldo to add even more style to his team’s attack.He said: “We
have European champions, World Cup winners and Ballon d’Or
players.
“We have the emotional quality needed to play in any
competition.
“What matters is that we have room to grow, to be solid and to
play at a medium-high level while being consistent in our style and
results.
“I am satisfied with our work so far and we will improve with
time. It will be easier to improve by winning games.”
Despite the burden of expectations lying heavily on the
players’ shoulders, Mourinho insists that they are hungry for
success.
He added: “The players want to win. Despite what many people
think, these players are not in a comfort zone just because they
are playing for Real Madrid.
“It’s completely the opposite – the players want to win and to
improve.
“It’s a team I like to work with. It’s not a perfect team, nor
is it a team that has just been put together, but it is a pleasure
working with the players here.
“I have been here just over three months and I can have no
complaints. The players are working well and know what I require
from them.
“I want teams to feel nervous and under pressure when they play
us.
“If the opposition fear us then that is half the battle,
anything is achievable.”
Only success will do as Mourinho chases football’s equivalent of
the Grand Slam.
