Mourinho Defends Vinicius Junior After Bernabeu Jeers
Jose Mourinho stepped into the firing line for Vinicius Junior on Tuesday night, defending the forward after sections of the Santiago Bernabeu crowd jeered him despite Real Madrid’s 2-1 win over Inter Milan in the Champions League.
The scoreline looked routine. The performance was anything but.
Kylian Mbappe and Federico Valverde struck for Madrid, with Carlos Augusto replying for Inter in a wild, open contest that left Mourinho half-delighted, half-exasperated.
“It could have ended 7-6”
Speaking to Movistar after the game, Mourinho didn’t bother dressing it up.
“I prefer to say it was a crazy match,” he said. “We are often criticised when the match is boring, and today it was crazy, and it could have ended 7-6 without any problem.”
He had already warned before kick-off that he would happily accept an ugly win over a stylish defeat. He got exactly that. Madrid were stretched, disjointed and repeatedly exposed in midfield, something the coach admitted bluntly.
“Our midfield was weak, they made changes very early, and I did not have many options in midfield,” he conceded.
Inter sensed that softness and kept coming. Chances flowed at both ends, the game opening up into a slugfest rather than the controlled European night Madrid usually demand at home.
Courtois crucial, but not alone
Thibaut Courtois stood tall again, making a string of important saves as Inter chased an equaliser. Mourinho, though, refused to reduce the victory to a one-man show in goal.
“Courtois made many saves, but how many goals did we waste on the counter-attacks? It was a wonderful match,” he said, highlighting Madrid’s threat in transition as well as their wastefulness.
He also moved quickly to shield Valverde from any criticism, stressing that the Uruguayan’s work without the ball had been as important as his name on the scoresheet. For Mourinho, Madrid’s pressing and collective aggression forced the errors that led to their goals, even if the final product sometimes stuttered.
Mourinho’s message to the Bernabeu: respect Vinicius
The sharpest edge of Mourinho’s post-match comments, though, was aimed not at Inter or his own midfield, but at those in the stands who turned on Vinicius.
The Brazilian forward, still searching for his top level after recent struggles, was jeered by sections of the home crowd. Mourinho was having none of it.
He admitted Vinicius is not yet the electric force Madrid fans are used to, but insisted the effort and commitment on display should be the only measure that matters right now.
“He has not yet reached his full readiness, and he is not yet the Vinicius we know, but he works a lot, and whoever works and gives everything he has deserves respect,” Mourinho said.
No caveats. No excuses. Just a clear demand: back him.
Madrid now swing back to LaLiga duty with Rayo Vallecano next on the schedule, and the question hangs in the air at the Bernabeu: will the crowd stand behind Vinicius as he fights to rediscover the version of himself they once adored?
