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Three days after his formal unveiling behind closed doors, Mourinho faced the media at Madrid's Valdebebas training complex before his side's LaLiga opener at Espanyol on Sunday (AEST), speaking for more than 40 minutes in a notably measured tone.

Despite Madrid entering the season after back-to-back trophyless campaigns and with pressure mounting on club president Florentino Perez, who recently secured re-election, Mourinho rejected the idea that the club was gripped by anxiety.

Instead, he said the mood was one of anticipation.

"We are tired of playing friendlies. We don't love football because of friendlies, we are all eager to jump right back into competitive football," Mourinho said.

"I wouldn't say the feeling here is pressure... It's more like adrenaline. Which is positive, that pump. I don't feel pressure. Because I have a lot of confidence in the work we've put in and in the players' hunger, commitment."

Mourinho repeatedly stressed the importance of collective responsibility in a squad packed with elite talent, while making clear that individual ambitions must come second to the team.

"What we need is to not negotiate things that are non-negotiable. Commitment is mandatory," he said.

"The team must go ahead of personal feelings. Tomorrow will be the first time the players will have to deal with it. I can't start a match with 15 players.

"I don't want easy decisions, that would be benching a player who got frustrated because he didn't play what he thought he would. I want to make hard decisions, want players that don't fall into the trap of frustration. I want players who work harder to earn a spot in the team."

Mourinho also addressed the challenge of accommodating Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Junior in the same side while maintaining balance.

"I don't think these positions are incompatible; I'm very confident we're going to have a great season," Mourinho said.

"It's obvious that I can't build the team around each of them like Brazil do with Vini, France with Mbappe and England with Bellingham. It's harder for me to find a place for all three of them, but that's where we are."

Mourinho said he had also drawn a line under the changing-room fight between Aurelien Tchouameni and Federico Valverde late last season, saying both players had convinced him there was no need for peace talks.

"With them, I've decided to start from scratch," Mourinho said.

"Ever since Tchouameni arrived, I've been keeping a close eye on things and haven't felt the need to say anything. I’ve observed from afar and all I saw was complete normality. What I saw was peace, friendship, companionship. As if nothing have happened."

Between 2010 and 2013, Mourinho led Madrid to one LaLiga title, one Copa del Rey and one Supercopa de Espana, with its 2011-2012 league success coming with a tally of 100 points – still the joint-competition record.

Madrid has strengthened its ranks with the additions of Bernardo Silva, Marc Cucurella, Denzel Dumfries, Yan Diomande, Ibrahima Konate and Carlos Espi.

But it missed out on 2024 Ballon d'Or winner Rodri, with Spain's 2026 FIFA World Cup winner and golden ball recipient joining Barcelona from Manchester City.

"I don't think we have a deficit," Mourinho said when asked about Rodri's move to Barca. "Then you can ask, 'If you don't have a deficit, why did you want to sign Rodri?'

"He would have been the cherry on top, he's a great player, he's a player with great experience, with great status.

"If we could have had him, we would have had him and we would have improved. But when you have Tchouameni, [Eduardo] Camavinga, Valverde, Bernardo, Arda [Guler] … it's not that we have a problem or that we needed to go for another player."