José Mourinho insisted that no player is “untouchable” at Real Madrid, as Vinícius Júnior prepares to return to the starting Xl for Wednesday’s Champions League game with RB Leipzig.
Vinícius is currently serving a four-game ban in LaLiga and so is only available to play in Europe, where he made an underwhelming appearance away at Roma last week, being substituted on 58 minutes as his replacement, Endrick, inspired a 4-3 win.
Mourinho has consistently backed the Brazil international this season, despite a run of poor form which has seen him contribute just one goal for his club in all competitions, and competition for his place from Madrid’s record summer signing, Yan Diomande.
“Only the badge is untouchable,” Mourinho said in a news conference on Tuesday. “I don’t like the concept of ‘untouchable’ players. What makes players untouchable isn’t a captain’s armband, or how long they’ve been at the club, or their status. What makes a player untouchable is performance.”
Madrid are trailing leaders Barcelona by six points in LaLiga ahead of Sunday’s Clásico at Camp Nou, but they have maximum points in the Champions League so far after two wins out of two against Inter Milan and Roma.
However Mourinho said his team couldn’t be considered among the favourites to win this season’s competition.
“It’s very early,” Mourinho said. “Right now Real Madrid don’t have the objective of winning the Champions League. We have the objective of qualifying [for the knockout phase]. Then, if we get the points that allow us to qualify, then we get to our second objective, to try to avoid the playoffs, which are two games with tension, and they’re games you can avoid.”
Mourinho made changes to his team for Sunday’s LaLiga game with Sevilla at the Bernabéu, playing Arda Güler in central midfield and giving starts to Diomande and Endrick, and was rewarded with a 4-1 win.
“As I said recently, I’m not a stubborn coach,” Mourinho said. “There are coaches who have an idea, and live or die by that idea. I’m not that kind of coach, I’m always open to analyse, to understand things and look for the best for the team.”
Defender Ibrahima Konaté said Mourinho has “an aura that not many managers have.”
“He doesn’t need to speak, and everyone will listen and respect him,” Konaté said. “He’s a great manager, and everyone here at this club wants success with him.”
Konaté was also asked about an incident in September in which he, Kylian Mbappé and Vinicius refused to wear a pre-match T-shirt supporting the Spanish city of Ceuta, in the midst of a migration crisis.
“To be honest, I didn’t really understand what was on the shirt,” Konaté said on Tuesday. “You have to understand, I’m from France, but my parents came from Africa. Many things happen, and many people are in the same situation as me… In that situation, I didn’t understand what it meant on the shirt, and I was focused on the game.”
