"This team has a lot of merit and I only have good things to say about a squad that has reached this far, and in such fashion, in two straight years"
Realmadrid.com / Translation by Michael J. O'Donnell
Jose Mourinho analysed the victory over APOEL in the press conference following the match.
"The semifinals against Bayern Munchen will be very even. They are a great opponent, very powerful both on an institutional and football level. I know them well because they are practically the same team I faced in the final with Inter Milan two years ago. They have very good principles of style, excellent individual skills and a fantastic fan base. It is a great tie I am very much looking forward to playing it and I think the whole of Europe will enjoy it."
"We will try to reach the final. It will be a great semifinals tie because, historically, there have been great clashes between both sides. The atmosphere in Munich will be difficult for us and we will reach the final if the Bernabeu manages to emulate it in the return leg. Both teams are very good and strong, and they are both playing excellent football. Bayern are motivated to play the final at their stadium and we reached the semis last season, so it's only natural for us to want more this year."
"My players did their job. We made some mistakes in defence in the second half, but that's normal when you're winning the tie 5-0 on aggregate; you tend to lose focus a little. I have no criticisms towards my men. This team has a lot of merit and I only have good things to say about a squad that has reached this far in such fashion in two straight years."
"We came up with a lineup to win the game because I didn't think APOEL would win by four goals here and reach the next round. We used a team to win and give some players time to rest. We used Altintop as a wild card. He played as left back to give Marcelo some rest. We knew that's not his position and that he could have problems. We also wanted Granero to rest because he covered a lot of ground in our last game and we didn't use Alonso, opting for Albiol instead. He may not be a midfielder, but he needs to play and every minute on the pitch is positive for him."
"We always work the same way, from the first game to the last. The team is in good form. Our injured players are recovering in time to face a tough April."
"We will try to reach the final. It will be a great semifinals tie because, historically, there have been great clashes between both sides. The atmosphere in Munich will be difficult for us and we will reach the final if the Bernabeu manages to emulate it in the return leg. Both teams are very good and strong, and they are both playing excellent football. Bayern are motivated to play the final at their stadium and we reached the semis last season, so it's only natural for us to want more this year."
"My players did their job. We made some mistakes in defence in the second half, but that's normal when you're winning the tie 5-0 on aggregate; you tend to lose focus a little. I have no criticisms towards my men. This team has a lot of merit and I only have good things to say about a squad that has reached this far in such fashion in two straight years."
"We came up with a lineup to win the game because I didn't think APOEL would win by four goals here and reach the next round. We used a team to win and give some players time to rest. We used Altintop as a wild card. He played as left back to give Marcelo some rest. We knew that's not his position and that he could have problems. We also wanted Granero to rest because he covered a lot of ground in our last game and we didn't use Alonso, opting for Albiol instead. He may not be a midfielder, but he needs to play and every minute on the pitch is positive for him."
"We always work the same way, from the first game to the last. The team is in good form. Our injured players are recovering in time to face a tough April."
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