Summary
Real Madrid's friendly against Fiorentina ended in a 2-2 draw, with coach Jose Mourinho expressing satisfaction despite the result. Mourinho praised his team's "three faces" – fresh, tired, and super tired – highlighting the quality of the initial play and the resilience of the fatigued players. Endrick and Alexis Ciria scored for Madrid, who led 2-0 before Fiorentina equalized through Roberto Piccoli and Moise Kean. Mourinho particularly lauded new signing Denzel Dumfries and Endrick for their "fantastic effort" after limited training post-World Cup. He also quipped that the "good ones" were missing, referring to key players like Vinicius Jr, Kylian Mbappe, and Jude Bellingham, who are on break. Mourinho's return aims to revitalize the team after two trophyless seasons.
Head coach Jose Mourinho said he liked "everything" from a Real Madrid outfit with "three faces" following Saturday's 2-2 friendly draw with Fiorentina.
Los Blancos took the lead through Endrick after just 12 minutes in the Wortersee Stadion in Klagenfurt, ahead of Alexis Ciria doubling the lead on 24.
With goals from Roberto Piccoli and Moise Kean on either side of the half time whistle, however, the Italians got away with a draw from a Madrid side that lacked a number of its World Cup stars.
Reacting afterwards, Mourinho, who rejoined the Spanish giants for a second time ahead of the FIFA tournament, was happy with what he saw.
“I liked everything. I arrived in the dressing room and I saw on my phone 'a Madrid of two faces’. It has been a Madrid of three faces: fresh, tired and super tired,” Mourinho quipped.
“The fresh one played very well. The 2-1 result at half-time was very tight. It was a first half of great quality. The second half became more physical against a typical Italian team. They put pressure on us. Then with Moise Kean he played in the box with two 18-year-old boys, who have played a great game, although they are not at the level of someone like Kean. The face that I liked was also that of the super tired, who knew how to dominate the game.”
Mourinho particularly admired the “fantastic effort” of new signing Denzel Dumfries and Endrick, who trained for just three days since starring at the World Cup for the Netherlands and Brazil respectively yet managed over 70 minutes in Austria.
Mourinho joked that the “good ones” were missing for Real Madrid
This typical wisecrack from the Portuguese came when he was asked what he felt returning to the Bernabeu hotseat.
“Nothing yet. The good ones are missing,” he responded with a laugh.
“It's Madrid with the players we have. As I said to the boys before the game, Real Madrid is Real Madrid even if it is a friendly. We have to look for evolution but also dignity”.
Mourinho of course referred to big names such as a Vinicius Jr currently locked in a renewal drama, Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham. They’re taking a break after their summer tournament escapades in North America, with the latter pair reaching the semifinals with France and England.
Bellingham was spotted in attendance at the St. Andrew’s ground of his boyhood club Birmingham City as they beat FC Barcelona on penalties Friday night.
When the trio of mentioned stars and others return, Mourinho is charged with getting them to click in sync following two unacceptable, trophyless seasons for Real Madrid while bitter rival Barça picked up five of the six domestic pieces of silverware on offer.
Source: Forbes
