Real Madrid are scheduled to visit Racing Santander at El Sardinero on Sunday 1 November in the eleventh round of the Spanish league. Before the match, José Mourinho discussed the fixture list, a run of away games and selection decisions including Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Midfield change explained
The Portuguese coach said: "Firstly, it is painful. I do not like stirring up negative feelings among players, I prefer positive feelings to prevail. It is obvious that I do not like building a team with two players in every position and then being forced to field a third player, but there are things more important than these feelings, which is the interest of the team at that moment."
He added: "I saw that the time had come to make a change in midfield and field Valverde, and my thinking was focused on the interest of the team, not on the players' calculations."
He also said: "And when I explained to Trent and Dumfries that the decision was not directed against either of them, but rather came to serve the team, I received a positive reaction from both of them."
Valverde and rotation plans
Mourinho said Valverde would not start on Sunday 1 November and that one of the other players would begin the match.
He said: "Valverde will not start tomorrow, but one of the other players will play from the beginning. And in the Barcelona match, I brought on Dumfries due to certain circumstances, while Trent played for a few minutes, and I do not think either of them will ask me to let him go."
He added: "With all these circumstances, everyone will get their chance in the end, and I do not think I will face a similar situation throughout the season."
Away run and fixture list
The Real Madrid boss said: "It is obvious that the matter is difficult, as every match carries its own danger, whether we play at home or away. But it is natural to take into account the opposing team's supporters when we play matches away from our stadium, because opponents feel more comfortable with their fans behind them."
He said: "Racing is a team that has not lost at home, and when we travel to Athens, AEK Athens will have played the derby against Panathinaikos tomorrow."
He added: "I think we are facing an almost unique situation, playing four consecutive matches away from our stadium."
Mourinho also said: "Regarding the fixture schedule, we were supposed to play yesterday and then today, and we were also supposed to face Valencia on Sunday instead of Saturday. They compressed the schedule by two days, and 3 matches were scheduled in 7 days. It is a great gift they gave us, whether from the Spanish league association or the television channels, I do not know, but it is a gift we have to accept."
