Jose Mourinho: ‘Better to play badly and win’ as Real Madrid prepare for Inter

Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho says he would rather see his side perform poorly and win than produce an impressive display without taking victory, as his team prepare to face Inter in the Champions League.

Mourinho made the comment while speaking to the media before the match against the Italian club. The fixture will be played at the Santiago Bernabeu in the opening round of the competition’s league phase.

“It is better to play badly and win than the other way round,” Mourinho said.

The Real Madrid manager was addressing his team’s immediate situation after they suffered their first defeat of the La Liga season in their most recent match. Real Betis won 1-0, leaving Mourinho to respond to a disappointing result before the Champions League meeting with Inter.

Despite the defeat, Mourinho described the outcome as a misunderstanding and said he had been satisfied with the quality of his side’s performance. His assessment placed greater emphasis on how Real Madrid played than on the final score, even though the team came away from the match without a point.

The loss to Real Betis is the latest result to shape the build-up to the meeting with Inter. Real Madrid will now turn their attention from domestic football to European competition, with the opening league-phase fixture taking place in front of their home supporters at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Inter arrive as the opponents for Mourinho’s first Champions League match of this campaign with Real Madrid. The match represents the beginning of the club’s involvement in the competition’s opening stage and gives Mourinho an immediate opportunity to move on from the La Liga defeat.

His comments also underline the importance he places on securing a positive result. Although Mourinho said he was pleased with the quality of Real Madrid’s display against Real Betis, the 1-0 scoreline meant the team’s performance was not reflected in the outcome he wanted.

The match between Real Madrid and Inter will be played at the Santiago Bernabeu as part of the first round of the Champions League league phase. A text commentary of the game will be available on the LiveResult website.