Mourinho talks Vinicius, Diomande, Bellingham, Nadal, penalty controversy vs Racing after AEK Athens 2-3 Real Madrid

Mourinho talks Vinicius, Diomande, Bellingham, Nadal, penalty controversy vs Racing after AEK Athens 2-3 Real Madrid Jose Mourinho defended Vinicius Jr. and delivered a glowing assessment of Jude Bellingham after Real Madrid secured a dramatic 3-2 victory over AEK Athens in the Champions League.  Federico Valverde scored a stoppage-time winner at the Allwyn Arena, completing a comeback that preserved Madrid’s perfect record in the competition’s league phase. The Portuguese manager had plenty to discuss following an eventful evening in Greece, addressing questions about Vinicius’ contribution, Bellingham’s importance to the team and the decisions behind his substitutions.  Mourinho also responded to a question about Kylian Mbappe’s controversial penalty incident in Santander before welcoming Rafael Nadal’s proposed appointment to Real Madrid’s board of directors. Mourinho backs Vinicius after questions over his performance Vinicius once again found himself under scrutiny, but Mourinho was reluctant to criticise the Brazilian despite questions surrounding his display and the tactical decisions involving his position. Vinicius Jr. did not have a good game against AEK Athens. (Photo by Diego Souto/Getty Images) Explaining why he decided to make changes on the wing, the Real Madrid manager said:  “I thought Vinicius played well, he had a good game. I preferred to freshen things up on the wing with two substitutions. Cucurella had a yellow card, so I brought on the fresh Alvaro. “Alvaro gets forward a lot on the wing, and Brahim plays very well centrally. I wanted to add some fresh legs there, but for me, Vini had a very decent game,” Mourinho explained. He also dismissed suggestions that Vinicius had forced Yan Diomande to change his position, insisting that the latter’s versatility makes playing on either flank a straightforward adjustment. “Vinicius hasn’t caused anything. Diomande has come to Real Madrid more to be a player who can play on both flanks, rather than strictly as a player for one flank. “Diomande plays with different attributes, but whether it’s right or left… it makes absolutely no difference.” Mourinho hails Bellingham Despite acknowledging the difficulty of the contest, Mourinho was pleased with how his players responded to the pressure.  AEK Athens had delivered a performance that surprised the Madrid manager, who admitted that his preparations had not fully anticipated the level of resistance they encountered. Mourinho praised Bellingham’s impact. (Photo by Milos Bicanski/Getty Images) Asked whether he was satisfied with the result and performance, Mourinho responded: “Yes, very satisfied. We played against a very difficult team. A team that played very well, better than ever. Of all the matches we’ve analyzed, none were even close to this performance. “In the end, the game opened up, with both teams wanting to win… and the team with more individual quality won.” The manager also reserved particularly strong praise for Bellingham, describing the England international as a midfielder without an equivalent in modern football.  “He’s a unique player, I think. There isn’t a midfielder like Jude in the world of football today. He’s complete in every respect. “I don’t have many words, because to me he’s an absolutely extraordinary player.  “Even on a day when he doesn’t have a great game, he always shows work rate, leadership, ambition, quality, a knack for getting into scoring positions, and goals.” Mourinho responds to Mbappe controversy and Nadal appointment Away from the immediate Champions League result, Mourinho was also asked about the controversy surrounding Mbappe’s penalty incident in Santander.  Mourinho spoke on Mbappe’s penalty controversy vs Racing. (Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images) The programme Tiempo de Revision had reportedly reviewed the decision and concluded that the referee had made an error. However, the Real Madrid manager was unconcerned about the potential impact of the decision on the result. “The way I see it, it’s a situation that has no bearing on the points. It’s a match where, even without that penalty, we’d still have won by three, four or five.  “It’s a match where the feeling was, ‘if we needed to score more, we’d score more’.” Lastly, he was considerably more enthusiastic when discussing Rafael Nadal’s inclusion on Real Madrid’s board of directors .  The club announced that the board had agreed to submit Nadal’s appointment for ratification by the General Assembly of Delegate Members.  Asked for his reaction, Mourinho said: “Hats off to Real Madrid. And hats off to the great Rafa Nadal. “He is what he is: a great Real Madrid fan, and obviously, to be on the Real Madrid Board of Directors, you have to be a great Real Madrid fan. But, apart from that, Rafa Nadal is Rafa Nadal,” he concluded. Source: AS