José Mourinho was pleased with his team's performance after Real Madrid's 2-2 draw against Fiorentina in his first match back in charge of the club. Speaking to Realmadrid TV after the final whistle, the Portuguese coach praised his players' attitude, intensity, and commitment despite the physical demands of preseason.

Reflecting on the match, Mourinho highlighted the different stages of his team's performance. "I liked everything. I arrived in the dressing room and saw on my phone that people were saying it was a 'two-faced Madrid.' It was actually a three-faced Madrid: fresh, tired, and extremely tired. The fresh team played very well. The 2-1 score at halftime didn't reflect our superiority. It was a first half of exceptional quality."

He acknowledged Fiorentina's improvement after the break and praised his young defenders for standing up to a difficult challenge. "The second half became more physical against a typical Italian team. They put us under pressure. Moise Kean was battling in the box against two 18-year-olds who had a fantastic game, even if they're not yet at the level of a player like him. I also liked the extremely tired version of the team because they knew how to manage the game."

Mourinho also singled out the effort of several players, including recent arrivals Denzel Dumfries, Endrick, and Carlos Espí. "Dumfries and Endrick had only trained for three days and still played more than 70 minutes. That's a fantastic effort. Espí has only trained for an hour and is still waking up from the dream of joining Real Madrid, but he also helped us."

The Portuguese manager stressed that the result was secondary to the team's progress and reiterated that Real Madrid must always compete with pride. "It's Real Madrid with the players we currently have available. I told the players before the match that Real Madrid is always Real Madrid, even in a friendly. We have to improve, but we also have to protect the club's dignity."

Looking ahead, Mourinho admitted he is still waiting for more players to return to full training. "I'd like to have three weeks of work with the full squad. Vinicius, Bernardo and Brahim are still returning. That's the situation."

Finally, when asked how it felt to return to the Real Madrid dugout, Mourinho replied with a smile: "Nothing yet. The best moments are still to come."

********************************************************

You can now download the Madridista News App for free on the Apple Store and Google Play.

You can follow us on Facebook here.

You can follow us on X (Twitter) here.                                                                    

You can follow us on Instagram here.

You can subscribe to our YouTube channel here.

You can follow us on Telegram here.

You can follow us on TikTok here.

You can join our WhatsApp channel here.