Jose Mourinho: Real Madrid Needs to Win Trophies
Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho has fired up his players ahead of the La Liga season kicking off, after claiming that a silverware-free campaign will be a “failure."
With Barcelona having dominated Spanish football for the last couple of years - they won back-to-back-league titles - Mourinho feels that his new club must get back on track by winning trophies. The former Inter Milan and Chelsea manager told ESPN that his side cannot afford to end the season having not won anything. He said: "If we don't win the league or the UEFA Champions League [this season], it would be a failure.”
Young and hungry
Mourinho took the opportunity to point out the differences between his team and Barcelona, stating that Barcelona had been working with the same core of players and coach for the last few seasons, while his team are young, hungry and have the fresh outlook a new coach brings. He said: "Barcelona have a different dynamic right now, a philosophy going back a lot of years, players who have been together for many years and a coach who is approaching his third year. But at Madrid the most veteran player is (Iker) Casillas, who is 29, and the coach has only just arrived."
Turning his thoughts to the Champions League, ‘The Special One’ is awaiting a tough campaign in Europe with some of the continent’s biggest clubs standing between Madrid and the trophy he won last season with Inter. He said: “It's the same story in the Champions League. Manchester United have a coach and a team [that have been together] for many years. Chelsea have a structure for many years, Barcelona the same and Inter have had a structure for three years. They are teams that at the start of the season have a different potential, but we will try to work hard and we will give our all to get there.”
Madrid kick off their La Liga campaign against Real Mallorca on August 28th and the Champions League group stage matches begin on September 14th and 15th, with the draw taking place on August 26th.
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