A return with soul

José Mourinho returned to the Santiago Bernabéu and did so with a victory that he himself defined as "from the soul." In his return to the Real Madrid bench after thirteen years, the Portuguese highlighted that the 2-1 victory against Espanyol at the start of LaLiga is not explained by physical condition, but by the emotional commitment of his players. Jude Bellingham opened the scoring early, Cala equalized half an hour in, and only in the 90th minute did Carlos Espi, the new signing, appear to seal the victory.

The wear and tear of the World Cup and the strength of the bench

Mourinho emphasized that several of his starters were fatigued after the World Cup, such as Bellingham, Mbappé, and Courtois, while Marc Cucurella, a champion with Spain, made his debut from the bench. "They didn't have the World Cup and have been working together for a long time, it showed in the intensity," he explained about the opponent. "We lack minutes and kilometers in our legs. That's why I value this victory a lot; it's a win with soul, even from the bench. A frustrated bench doesn't help, but a bench with team spirit makes you win." The statistics backed Madrid with 2.92 expected goals against Espanyol's 1.12, although Mourinho acknowledged that the result was harsh for the Catalans.

Vinicius and the controversy at the RCDE Stadium

The coach also expressed his annoyance at the treatment Vinicius Junior received, booed from the start at the RCDE Stadium. "Vini is not a saint, but what they do to him is too much. From the first minute, it seems like he is already condemned. It's a great frustration for him; he needs a lot of emotional control," he pointed out. With these words, Mourinho made it clear that his Madrid does not only seek victories through tactics or technique, but through an intangible that he considers vital, the soul. And in his return, that soul already gave him three fundamental points.

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