Jose Mourinho walked into his first Real Madrid press conference three minutes early on Friday, but the message was deliberate: commitment is non-negotiable, competition is unavoidable and frustration over selection decisions will not be tolerated.
Three days after his formal unveiling behind closed doors, Mourinho faced the media at Real's Valdebebas training complex before Saturday's LaLiga opener at Espanyol, speaking for more than 40 minutes in a notably measured tone.
Despite Real entering the season after back-to-back trophyless campaigns and with pressure mounting on President Florentino Perez, who recently secured re-election, Mourinho rejected the idea that the club was gripped by anxiety.
Instead, he said the mood was one of anticipation.
"We are tired of playing friendlies. We don't love football because of friendlies, we are all eager to jump right back into competitive football," Mourinho said.
"I wouldn't say the feeling here is pressure... It's more like adrenaline. Which is positive, that pump. I don't feel pressure. Because I have a lot of confidence in the work we've put in and in the players' hunger, commitment."
COLLECTIVE RESPONSIBILITY
Mourinho repeatedly stressed the importance of collective responsibility in a squad packed with elite talent, while making clear that individual ambitions must come second to the team.
"What we need is to not negotiate things that are non-negotiable. Commitment is mandatory," he said.
"The team must go ahead of personal feelings. Tomorrow will be the first time the players will have to deal with it. I can't start a match with 15 players.
"I don't want easy decisions, that would be benching a player who got frustrated because he didn't play what he thought he would. I want to make hard decisions, want players that don't fall into the trap of frustration. I want players who work harder to earn a spot in the team."
Mourinho also addressed the challenge of accommodating Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Jr in the same side while maintaining balance.
"I don't think these positions are incompatible; I'm very confident we're going to have a great season," Mourinho said.
"It's obvious that I can't build the team around each of them like Brazil do with Vini, France with Mbappe and England with Bellingham. It's harder for me to find a place for all three of them, but that's where we are."
STARTING FROM SCRATCH
Mourinho said he had also drawn a line under the changing-room fight between Aurelien Tchouameni and Federico Valverde late last season, saying both players had convinced him there was no need for peace talks.
"With them, I've decided to start from scratch," Mourinho said.
"Ever since Tchouameni arrived, I've been keeping a close eye on things and haven't felt the need to say anything. I’ve observed from afar and all I saw was complete normality. What I saw was peace, friendship, companionship. As if nothing have happened."
