Top News

Jose Mourinho did not mince his words after Real Madrid suffered their first major setback of the season against Real Betis. Although the Portuguese coach began in a relatively composed manner, he eventually pointed to what he saw as his players’ lack of street-smartness compared to the craftiness shown by the Betis side.

Mourinho tears into Madrid’s naivety

Mourinho was blunt in his reading of Madrid’s mentality after their first significant La Liga stumble of the campaign. Even though Los Blancos controlled large parts of the match, they left Seville with nothing, prompting their manager to dwell on the mental difference between the two teams. Mourinho was especially critical of what he felt was a lack of gamesmanship from his own players, calling them “pure” and “naive” against a more seasoned Betis team that knew exactly how to run down the clock and influence the referee’s emotions across the full ninety minutes.

Explaining that contrast further, he said: “The Betis players are cleverer than Real Madrid’s in that sense. Madrid’s are naive ... Betis players tried to impact the referee, but Madrid’s players, when something deserves a yellow card, they get straight back up ... When you play teams with this mentality, it’s an important factor.”

Frustration over refereeing and play-acting

While Mourinho said the referee generally did a good job of letting the game flow, he was clearly unhappy with the difference in the way fouls and bookings were dealt with. He pointed out that Arda Guler was booked for a minor offence, while Betis avoided several cautions in the early stages. Mourinho also mocked what he considered the opposition’s theatrics, referring to one moment close to his technical area. “That boy who was dead there in front of my bench... I thought the ambulance was coming and in the end, there was no ambulance. In that sense I say it,” he said.

Even so, Mourinho maintained that he was pleased with the team’s overall display, despite the result not matching what he believed they deserved. “If it ends in a draw we go away frustrated, because we have done more; well imagine with the defeat. Congratulations to Betis, who played for the draw and won the lottery,” he added.

Controversy over Mbappe’s penalty

The drama reached its height late on at La Cartuja when Kylian Mbappe was given a golden chance to level the scores from the penalty spot. But the France star saw his kick saved by Alvaro Valles, which immediately triggered appeals for a retake because of possible encroachment by Betis defender Marc Bartra. Despite the obvious protests from the Madrid bench, VAR did not step in, leaving Mourinho to look back on a night when fortune seemed to completely abandon his star-studded side.

Asked specifically about those refereeing calls, including the penalty incident and a disallowed Carlos Espi goal, Mourinho stayed restrained but did not hide his irritation at the lack of certainty. “I haven’t seen [the incidents],” he admitted. “I haven’t watched them in the dressing room, so I can’t comment,” Mourinho said.

Injury update and praise for the defence

In spite of the disappointment of defeat, Mourinho made a point of praising his back line, singling out his centre-backs as “imperial” for the way they controlled the game. He insisted the players’ commitment could not be questioned. “I have nothing to reproach any player with their attitude. The people have left everything. We deserved to win, but deserving does not give you points,” he said. The manager also clarified that Marc Cucurella’s late withdrawal was not caused by any serious injury, but by cramp, which led to the late introduction of Alvaro Carreras to reinforce the left side of the defence.