Real Madrid-Inter is also José Mourinho against his past. The Portuguese coach wrote history in Milan by winning the treble already 16 years ago, crowned with the Champions League trophy raised to the sky right at the Bernabeu: "Today it is my home stadium, but beyond that it will always be my stadium and it is iconic for Inter. Every match is important for us in this competition, there are many matches and I hope to see Inter again later. The Blues are a very big team, they can now play with their eyes closed".
In the team that became legendary was also Cristian Chivu, today the coach of the black and blues and tomorrow the opponent of Special One: "He was my player, we worked together. We experienced many things together, for better and for worse". However, a few months ago, the Romanian coach felt attacked by a sentence of Mou, to the extent that he had spoken about the "noise of friends", using a half-quote precisely from the Portuguese. Special One had criticized former players who are immediately given the benches of big clubs: "Who did you talk to find out if I have a bad relationship with him? Who did you talk to yesterday on the phone? I want to tell you if we heard each other? There is nothing to clarify between us. We had many contacts when I was at Roma and he was managing the youth. I have rarely found former players with this passion for a very difficult profession. I have always understood that he really wanted to become a high-level coach", declared Mourinho. "Special match against Inter? At this moment yes, after the match yes, but during the match no. It will be like the others: we want to win."
Mourinho then moves on to talk about his own, starting with a Bellingham who seems reborn after the Portuguese's arrival in Madrid: "Improved by me and by the new position? The important thing is that the players feel comfortable. It is more important what they think than what you believe is right. Then there are situations in which you have to convince them to do things they like less."
Real-Inter will also be the Lautaro-Mbappé duel: "They are different, both are very important for their teams. Tomorrow, even though we have 3 suspended, it will be 11 against 11. For us in midfield it will be difficult, maybe an Italian has made the calendar (laughs, ed.). Alexander-Arnold possible solution? We have three-four-five possibilities to replace them. I can go around, but in the end I will not tell you anything", concludes Mourinho with a smile, who then sends a message to those who say he has changed: "More relaxed in this return to Madrid? No, I am always the same". However, Real Madrid is different, as Mourinho has found: "I have had two different periods here, I finished my job in 2013 and we won what we won and lost what we lost. It is a closed cycle and this moment has nothing to do with the past. They are different periods, in 2010 it had been years since Real Madrid played in a semi-final. Now we come from a Real Madrid that has won 7-8 titles. The objective is to win the Champions League with Real Madrid."
