After Real Madrid beat Barcelona 2-1 in El Clasico, Jose Mourinho discussed Bernardo Silva's integration and Real Madrid's midfield balance.
Bernardo Silva starts in midfield
Bernardo Silva started in central midfield against Barcelona and worked for 75 minutes before being replaced by Eduardo Camavinga.
Mourinho said: "Regarding Bernardo’s situation, I’ve said that he’s been here for a little over three months."
Mourinho said: "Obviously, I know him very well, but knowing someone very well is one thing, and seeing how he can integrate into the team dynamic is another."
Camavinga's late contribution
Camavinga came on and assisted Kylian Mbappe's 88th-minute match-winner.
Mourinho on midfield combinations
Mourinho said: "The group is very strong. I’ll never tell you, ‘This is my starting eleven’... everyone works very hard."
Mourinho said: "I’ve learned that in midfield, having a combination of talents gives us more than having two players with similar characteristics."
Mourinho said: "This means that I don’t use the double pivot of Bernardo with Guler, or only in desperate situations."
Mourinho said: "I prefer this combination of talents, which gives us balance when defending and more quality when launching attacks."
Next league match
GOAL reported that Real Madrid's next La Liga test is against Santander.