“I love Madrid and Álvaro very much. Imagine if I want them to do well”

José Mourinho sat within the Benfica press room with the emotional weight of his reunion as a direct rival of Actual Madrid, but additionally with the satisfaction of going through a coach he defines as his “boy.”

The Portuguese didn’t hesitate to precise his love for the white membership and for Álvaro Arbeloa, making a paradox that completely summarizes the emotional complexity of a match that goes past sports activities.

Mourinho was direct when addressing his relationship with Arbeloa. “I’ve not spoken with Álvaro. My quantity may be very complicated, solely my household has it. I’ve one other cellphone, however that one all the time modifications and I lose contact with many individuals. It isn’t essential to name between us to want him luck, he is aware of it. Simply as he thinks the identical about me, he certainly desires Benfica to all the time win,” he defined.

When requested how he felt when he came upon that Arbeloa could be the brand new coach of Actual Madrid, Mourinho expressed his affection in an virtually heartfelt approach. “To start with, I need all the things to go effectively for him, which is what I need. I need Arbeloa to do effectively wherever he goes. I need Madrid to do effectively with any coach. Think about Madrid with Arbeloa, what I need is for him to do effectively. I really like Madrid loads and I really like Álvaro loads. I simply need issues to go badly for them tomorrow,” he expressed.

He added a mirrored image on what it means to be a coach in the present day: “I have never seen him prepare, I can not let you know something extra about him as a coach. The one vital factor for me is that he’s pleased. Being a coach may be very troublesome, as a result of there are various individuals who know greater than you, who criticize you day-after-day. It is necessary that you simply prefer it.”

Relating to the shock that the dismissal of Xabi Alonso may have generated, Mourinho was understanding and emotional. “Xabi is one other of my boys. I solely have constructive recollections of him. I’ve had the emotion, which I’ll have tomorrow, of taking part in towards Álvaro, of taking part in towards Xabi. I’ve been excited to play towards

When requested about Arbeloa’s inexperience as a coach at a membership the magnitude of Actual Madrid, Mourinho took the chance to do a historical past lesson and defend his former participant.

“You have a quality that I respect a lot. You take things where you want. My question was about the Juve coach, not about the Madrid coach. What surprises me is when a coach with no history coaches a big club. In 2000, Benfica called a coach who had not coached anyone and that coach, me, wanted me as first coach, I thought I was an assistant,” he said.

Mourinho then allowed himself a personal assessment of Arbeloa that goes beyond sports. “This was good for you to talk about Arbeloa. Arbeloa is my boy, he is not just a former player of mine. Álvaro is one of my favorite players on a personal level, he was not the best player I had in Madrid, but he was one of the best men. He is the last one I could put pressure on. I just hope he does well and has a great career as a coach,” he said.

Regarding the strategy to face Madrid, Mourinho was pragmatic. “Analyzing this Real Madrid, I would like to play in a different way than I am going to be able to play. We cannot play with the qualities that we do not have. To win we have to score one more goal than the opponent. We have to play to score and defend well, to be balanced,” he indicated, recognizing Benfica’s limitations against an elite rival.

The meeting between Mourinho and Arbeloa on the bench will be, more than a tactical duel, a meeting of emotions. The Portuguese has made clear his passion for both parties: his love for Madrid and his paternal affection towards his “boy” Arbeloa.