Mourinho also leaped to the defence of Real winger, Vinicius Junior, who was jeered by the fans at the final whistle.
By Kehinde Okeowo
Real Madrid manager, Jose Mourinho, has admitted that his team had a gap in their ranks during the UEFA Champions League (UCL) win over Inter Milan.
The Portuguese tactician made this known while addressing journalists after the encounter played at the Santiago Bernabéu.
Real Madrid began their Champions League campaign with a narrow 2-1 victory over the Serie A giants on Tuesday night.
Los Blancos got off to a great start in the 14th minute thanks to Kylian Mbappé, who netted his 71st goal in the competition.
Federico Valverde doubled their lead nine minutes later, before Carlos Augusto pulled one back for Inter in the second half.
Before the fixture, Mourinho had insisted he would take an unconvincing win over a fine performance that ended in defeat.
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He said as much again after the Inter clash, a game packed with thrilling swings and chances at both ends.
”I prefer to say it was a crazy match,” the Portuguese told Movistar. “We are often criticised when the match is boring, and today it was crazy, and it could have ended 7-6 without any problem.”
Despite securing the victory, Mourinho still owned up to his team’s struggles, particularly in the middle of the park. “Our midfield was weak, they made changes very early, and I did not have many options in midfield,” he explained.
”When I saw that the players were going through a difficult situation, I made the changes, but I think they did a great job,” he added. “The match was not boring, and we were close to scoring a third goal in the final minute of the first half.”
He was quick to hand his players credit, too. “I agree that the goals came in moments from the opponent’s mistakes, but I want to give my team’s players some credit, because we train on pressing against the opponent,” the Real Madrid boss continued. “Valverde’s goal comes as a result of work, so it should not all be criticism.”
While leaping to the defence of Vinicius Junior, who was jeered by the fans at the final whistle, he said: “I’m not criticising the fans; I’m speaking as a coach and about my relationship with him. He deserves all my respect. He’s not at his best, and we all see that. He’s the first to know it and is working very hard to be the player who decides matches.”
