"My players' reaction after half-time has a lot of merit; their attitude, pace, concentration and intensity all changed"
Javier Garcia / Translation by Michael J. O'Donnell
Jose Mourinho analysed Real Madrid's 3-2 victory over Malaga in the press conference following the match.
"Our performance in the first half was not good. We lacked concentration and made big mistakes in set pieces, but my team cleaned its own trash thanks to the support of the crowd. It isn't easy to find such support when you're losing. We came back thanks to the bond between team and audience, and we'll have the advantage in Malaga."
"You'll have to ask the players why they changed in the second half. Why not do in the first half what you did after half-time? That'll be my question. I'll try to have them answer it for me as well as answer it myself. What matters is the result. It's important to win your first game at home; that's the primary objective in a tie in order to have the lead in the return leg."
"Malaga played their game. They defended and didn't do much to score, but they are a good team in set pieces and have merit. They're a well worked side. We'll have the advantage in Malaga, albeit a short one. The game will be difficult. We could have scored more goals in the second half."
"I didn't want to point the finger at anybody in particular. I tried something drastically different to that. The three players I replaced didn't play worse than the rest. I would have changed them all if I could. No matter; tomorrow's a new day and we're all together in this. I feel I took a risk and did something to change things. I'd rather go home with that than merely having waited for luck to change."
"I believe we're in good form despite our bad first half. That's not to say we think about winning it all. For the time being our minds are set on defeating Granada and later on eliminating Malaga. I would have preferred to lose today than to lose our league match on Saturday."
"A break in the championship is always a break, and we try to come back with enough time to prepare. Some interpret holidays as a time to rest. Others use them to enjoy themselves, travel, eat and drink, therefore being a little different when they return."
"You'll have to ask the players why they changed in the second half. Why not do in the first half what you did after half-time? That'll be my question. I'll try to have them answer it for me as well as answer it myself. What matters is the result. It's important to win your first game at home; that's the primary objective in a tie in order to have the lead in the return leg."
"Malaga played their game. They defended and didn't do much to score, but they are a good team in set pieces and have merit. They're a well worked side. We'll have the advantage in Malaga, albeit a short one. The game will be difficult. We could have scored more goals in the second half."
"I didn't want to point the finger at anybody in particular. I tried something drastically different to that. The three players I replaced didn't play worse than the rest. I would have changed them all if I could. No matter; tomorrow's a new day and we're all together in this. I feel I took a risk and did something to change things. I'd rather go home with that than merely having waited for luck to change."
"I believe we're in good form despite our bad first half. That's not to say we think about winning it all. For the time being our minds are set on defeating Granada and later on eliminating Malaga. I would have preferred to lose today than to lose our league match on Saturday."
"A break in the championship is always a break, and we try to come back with enough time to prepare. Some interpret holidays as a time to rest. Others use them to enjoy themselves, travel, eat and drink, therefore being a little different when they return."
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