Jose Mourinho did not talk up Real Madrid’s Teresa Herrera Trophy win as anything close to a finished product. He called it a serious match against Deportivo La Coruna, said the trophy has a long tradition, and stressed that next week is when La Liga preparation really starts. Real Madrid had not won the competition since 2013.
Mourinho's message after the trophy win
Mourinho was clear that the result was useful, not conclusive. “It was a serious match against a team returning to La Liga, this trophy has a long tradition so they gave it their all and forced us to play seriously,” he told managingmadrid.com.
He was even more direct about what he liked from the evening. “One thing I like is that in a match of this difficulty, with changes to the line-up, but also to formations and roles, the team played to get a result.”
That was the part he seemed most interested in. Mourinho said the side had only one penultimate friendly left before La Liga starts next week, and he highlighted that Fede Valverde and Arda only played 45 minutes as he managed minutes and tested changes in lineup and formation. Real Madrid have won four of their last five league matches in the form feed, and the next three league fixtures are already listed as Espanyol away, Real Sociedad home and Malaga home.
The bits on the pitch that stood out
The win itself came through a smart pre-season move, too. Andriy Lunin launched the move after winning possession from a corner, and Brahim Díaz finished it after controlling the ball with his chest. Brahim said Lunin “spotted me in a good position” and added, “A good goal, but it's all down to Lunin.”
Lunin’s own read was similar. “The most important thing is that these matches help us prepare for La Liga,” he said, adding that the second half was tougher physically because the squad is still in pre-season and working hard. Brahim has six appearances, 470 minutes and four assists in the season aggregate, which fits the sense that he is carrying useful rhythm into the summer work.
Written by Daniel Hartley with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →
