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José Mourinho criticised Real Madrid’s players after they narrowly defeated Elche 3-2 in a dramatic La Liga encounter at the Manuel Martínez Valero on Tuesday.
Real Madrid appeared to be heading for a comfortable victory after taking control of the match, but a drop in intensity allowed Elche back into the contest and left Mourinho frustrated with his team’s inability to finish games.
“Three points only. Of course, after the first half the feeling was that we would score three, four or five goals in the second half, but we lowered the intensity and gave the opponent big spaces,” Mourinho said.
The Portuguese manager said he tried to restore control in midfield by introducing Jude Bellingham and Brahim Díaz, but warned that Real Madrid could have paid a heavy price for allowing Elche back into the match.
“I tried to give the midfield more solidity by bringing on Jude Bellingham and Brahim Díaz, but they scored a goal, and in these stadiums, with this crowd presence, a team that looks as if it has died can come back to life,” he said.
Mourinho also questioned why his players repeatedly fail to settle matches when they have established control. “The players are united and motivated, and there is friendship and commitment. My only criticism is that we can settle matches and we don’t do it, and we gave a team that looked as if it was dead a chance to come back to life.”
The Real Madrid boss admitted that his side’s performance had different phases, particularly as they struggled to maintain the intensity that had given them control earlier in the game.
“The problem seems clear to me. There are matches that look as if they are over, but they are not over,” Mourinho said. “The only explanation I find is that we consider them easy matches, and we don’t kill them off.”
Carlos Espi eventually scored the decisive goal, earning praise from Mourinho, while Yan Diomandé was also commended for his performance despite playing most of the match on a yellow card.
Mourinho also addressed Real Madrid’s defensive problems after the team conceded for another match. “I very much like my team to score goals, but I also like to control matches. I don’t like us to gift the opponent chances,” he said.
The manager was equally clear when asked about Arda Güler’s substitution, insisting that the midfielder is not guaranteed a place in his team. “There is no indispensable player,” Mourinho said, explaining that Güler’s intensity had dropped while operating in the number 10 position.
Mourinho summed up the chaotic nature of the contest with a blunt assessment of Real Madrid’s performance: “Or three faces, to be more precise, because the ending was simply: either we kill the match or we die in it.”
