Jose Mourinho says Internazionale remain “a very strong team” but admits he is surprised they have not won the Champions League during the past six years.
Mourinho, who guided Inter to historic success in the competition, was speaking to Sky Sports before Real Madrid’s highly anticipated meeting with Internazionale. The Portuguese manager will face his former club as an opponent at the Bernabeu, where he led Inter to Champions League glory.
The match will be a notable occasion for Mourinho, who has worked for Real Madrid since 2010 and considers the stadium an important part of his career.
“This is my stadium now. Aside from that, because I’ve been working for Real Madrid since 2010, this has always been an iconic venue. Every match is important, but there are eight in total, and I hope to face Inter again after this one,” Mourinho said.
Mourinho praises Inter’s continuity
Mourinho believes Inter’s strength is rooted in the consistency of their approach, despite changes in the coaching staff.
“This is a very strong team. Over the past six years, from Conte to Inzaghi to Chivu, they’ve maintained the same style of play, tactical system, and player profiles. They can execute it perfectly, with strong maturity, quality, and physicality. The only thing that surprises me is that they haven’t won the Champions League during this period,” he said.
Antonio Conte, Simone Inzaghi and Cristian Chivu have each overseen Inter during that period, while the club have continued to operate with a similar tactical identity and squad profile.
Mourinho also spoke positively about Chivu’s development as a manager. The pair had considerable contact when Chivu was coaching Inter’s youth team, with the Romanian visiting Rome on several occasions.
“It’s hard to say. When they were players, their focus was on playing football. I had considerable contact with him when he was coaching the youth teamhe came to Rome many times, and we spent time together. I can feel his passion; it’s something he truly loves. I rarely see former players who become coaches and still have such empathy for this challenging job. I know Cristian really wants to succeed at this, and I hope to have a good conversation with him,” Mourinho said.
Bellingham and the importance of positioning
The Real Madrid manager was also asked about Jude Bellingham and whether the England midfielder’s positioning had been important in allowing the club’s leading players to operate effectively within the system.
“It’s important for players to feel comfortable, and I think their ideas matter as much as mine. Sometimes you have to help them understand that for the team’s benefit, they need to do something different from their personal preferences, but the key is that everyone is in the right position,” Mourinho said.
He described Kylian Mbappe and Lautaro Martinez as different types of players but underlined the importance of both to their respective teams.
“Mbappe and Lautaro are different players, but both are extremely important to their respective teams. Even if we had three players suspended tomorrow, it would still be 11 against 11 on the pitch,” he said.
Asked about the difficulty of selecting his midfield, Mourinho responded with a joke: “It’s difficult, very difficult. I think whoever arranged the schedule is probably Italian…”
Mourinho was also asked whether he felt different during his second spell as Real Madrid manager.
“I’m still the same person, just a little calmer,” he said.
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