Jose Mourinho has asked Real Madrid supporters to make the team the focus of his return to the Santiago Bernabeu as he prepares for his first home game of his second spell in charge.
Real Madrid face Real Sociedad on Wednesday having opened the Liga season with a 2-1 victory at Espanyol. Mourinho wants the atmosphere at the Bernabeu to help his players build on that result rather than centre on his return to the club.
“I don’t want the Bernabeu to welcome me in a particular way. I want it to welcome the team as its team, as its passion,” Mourinho said.
The Portuguese returned to Madrid this summer after the club endured a disappointing end to the previous campaign. He said the priority was to rebuild the relationship between the team and supporters.
“I know last season didn’t end well, and at some point, it might have seemed like that love was going through a complicated phase,” he said. “What I want is for us to start from scratch, though in this case, it’s not entirely from scratch.”
Mourinho said the players had already given supporters an indication of what to expect from his side through their work and commitment. “I think people have already gotten a feeling for the way the team is working, its commitment, and the will to do things right,” he said. “That’s the most important thing; I’m not important.”
Madrid’s opening victory came through Jude Bellingham’s early goal and a late winner from debutant Carlos Espi. Mourinho expects a tougher test from Sociedad but believes his players can draw confidence from the atmosphere they encountered in Barcelona against Espanyol.
“First home match. It is one of the 19 we will play at home and one of the 38 we will play in the championship,” Mourinho said. “Every point is important.”
He praised Espanyol’s supporters for the backing they gave their side and wants a similar level of commitment from Madrid fans.
“At Espanyol’s ground, we felt a lot of support from their fans for their team,” Mourinho said. “At the Bernabeu, we hope for the support of our people.”
Mourinho also said he expects his players to show the qualities needed to deal with Sociedad’s threat, including resilience and composure.
“What I expect is for the players to have the same hunger to win the match, the same attitude, resilience, strength, and calmness to face a difficult game,” he said.
Sociedad, he added, were a side with “identity and quality players” who would provide a demanding test.
Mourinho acknowledged that the occasion would carry greater significance because of his return but said he would treat the game as a contest for three points.
“If you ask me about my feeling, I’d tell you that I’m perfectly capable of controlling my emotions and playing normally in a match that isn’t normal because it’s a three-point game, and we need to win it,” he said.
He wants the players to give supporters a reason to believe that the team can produce a different level of performance from the final part of last season.
“I’d really like the team to feel something different than it did last season, especially in the final stretch. Let’s go together,” Mourinho said.
