Mourinho: "If Valverde has to play at left-back, he will do so with the responsibility of a captain"

Serious and weighed down by the burden of the tremendous news about Jesús de Miguel . That was how José Mourinho appeared in the AEK press room. "It is something very shocking for everyone, even more so for us, who are on the field every day, in competition. It is hard, very sad. The words and feelings all go out to the family and friends of Jesús. It must also be a very complicated moment for the other player involved in the situation. It is sad for everyone," he explained.

In a low-profile press conference, there was a striking reflection. It came when he was asked about Fede Valverde, his position and the alternatives. "I see Fede as an extremely important player for the team. The fact of being Real Madrid's captain makes him look around in a different way. When you are the captain, you have to be different. It is a responsibility and I think that will make him play wherever is necessary for his team and for his teammates. That is what a captain is to me and that is why I am convinced it will not be a problem for Fede to play wherever. If needed at left-back, he will do it because of the responsibility of a captain. The squad was built to play with Valverde in midfield. This means that in midfield we do not have many and, not having many, he will surely play in midfield again. If you ask me whether I am happy for him to play at full-back, yes. If you ask me whether the team is playing better on that side, yes. But in midfield we have Tchouaméni, Camavinga, Bernardo, Thiago and that's it. That is why I say Fede will play at full-back, because we all like him there a lot, but he will also have to play in midfield."

Mourinho, who emphasized how difficult it is to play in Athens ("Madrid have only won here once in eight attempts, that must mean something"), assured that Vinicius will be in the starting lineup. He also said that he is the player who gives him the fewest options when it comes to shuffling pieces in attack: "Don't forget Brahim, Endrick... We have a lot of quality players there. Having many players is never a problem for me. Diomande can play on both wings, Brahim too, Endrick on the right, but also on the left... Of all of them, Vini is the player best suited to playing on the left wing. We know that."

A European champion with Porto and Inter , Mou sees a difference if he were to do it with Madrid, although it is something far from his mind: "It would be the third one with three different clubs. It would be achieving it with the biggest club in the world... But we are talking about hypothetical situations, and I prefer real situations. And the reality is that we still need points to qualify. We are close to the playoff, but not to direct qualification for the round of 16. Until we qualify, I am not going to talk even about the round of 16. Tomorrow is a difficult match, but after this untimely trip between two important league matches, since we are here, we have to win.”

And he ended up speaking, ironically, about the time it takes for the best of his work to be seen: "Three years."