Jose Mourinho Backs Vinicius Jr. to Rediscover His Best Form at Real Madrid

La Liga fixtures continue before the international break, so Real Madrid will face Valencia CF on Saturday of this week.

Fortunately for the white team, Valencia has had a very irregular start to the season and has struggled to string together wins, although they won their last match against Elche CF with a single goal. As of today, they sit in 19th place in the La Liga standings.

Real Madrid remains in third place but has shown improvement over the past several matches. The club had been criticized by the media for not performing as expected, but now the presence of coach Jose Mourinho seems to be taking shape.

At the pre-match press conference ahead of Saturday's game against Valencia, Mourinho addressed the press and spoke about Vinicius Jr., the upcoming match, the international break, the improvements the club needs, among other topics.

What the media most wanted to know about was undoubtedly the Vinicius topic, so that was the first subject addressed. When asked about the management of minutes for the left winger, Mourinho said the most important thing is the team.

"I have never willingly wanted to harm the team to benefit a player. When we return to normality and Vinicius is available, I will manage it (...) Obviously, the last match was for Vinicius and to give rest to some players who had discomfort," the coach assured.

Regarding the criticism of Real Madrid's No. 7, the Portuguese explained that when a player is bad, he will always be bad, but when a good player has negative moments, it always leaves a door open for him to return to his moment of glory.

"It has not been incredible, but it was fine, because he played well. Since he is Vinicius, and the Vinicius who eliminated me from the Champions League last year is always expected of him... Well, it is about continuing to work with all possible strategies."

Speaking about the upcoming match against Valencia, the 63-year-old coach assured that it will be a complicated match, since their coach is a man of experience and knows how to manage his team.

"It will be a very tough match for us, but without thinking about what we have done so far, in these 7 victories. We have to think that tomorrow is a very difficult match and that, to win, we have to be at our best," added the coach.

After Saturday's match, the club will pause its fixtures due to the international break, a topic that, for Mourinho, is not very relevant, since he does not fear his players playing for their national teams as long as it is respected.

"The difficulty of tomorrow's match is my concern, and I do not see the international break as a problem, as long as the players and the minutes they are given are respected to protect them from possible injuries. I am not worried at all about the players playing for their country."

On Federico Valverde being captain, the Portuguese has only positive words.

"Since we started working together, I have seen an optimal kid, professional, humble, a friend to his teammates... Sincere, one of the voices that is felt every day, at every moment. He is a kid who is there, setting a good example for everyone," he said candidly.

For Real Madrid's leader, there are things to improve, especially in risk situations, in the unity of the group, the bench, and many other things.

"A comeback in a match has many positive things, but it has a negative side. And that negative side we have to work on and find more consistency when it comes to starting matches well, as we have done in Santander and in practically all the ones we have played at home. There is a lot to do," the coach concluded.