‘Naive’ – Jose Mourinho criticizes his own Real Madrid team after their loss to Real Betis
Jose Mourinho didn’t hold back when talking about his Real Madrid players after their first loss of the season in his second stint at the club. After winning their first three La Liga games, they were beaten by Real Betis on Friday night.
New Betis signing and former Spurs striker Troy Parrott scored his first goal to help secure an impressive win for the Andalusian team. In a dramatic finish, Kylian Mbappe had a penalty saved by Alvaro Valles, and there was even a disallowed bicycle kick by Carlos Espi.
This result means Barcelona could soon pull three points ahead in the title race, and Mourinho was quick to criticize his own players after the match. While he praised their effort and overall performance, he said they were “naive” for not doing enough to get the Betis players booked for fouls.
He explained, “My players missed clear chances to get opponents yellow cards. For example, in the first minute, a Betis player stepped on Fede Valverde’s foot, which is usually a yellow card. But Valverde stayed on his feet and didn’t fall, while Betis players exaggerated fouls like they needed medical help.”
Mourinho, who received a yellow card himself, said his players need to be tougher and warned that this naivety is a big problem when facing teams with that kind of mindset. Still, he defended his team, saying they played very well with great attitude and did everything possible to win.
After the game at Estadio de La Cartuja, Mourinho had a moment with Vinicius Jr. The manager approached the player, and they exchanged a brief handshake, but Vinicius quickly walked away, making the moment feel a bit awkward.
Vinicius had been linked with a surprise move to Arsenal over the summer but chose to stay by signing a new contract with Real Madrid.
Real are back in action on Tuesday when they host Mourinho’s former club Inter Milan in their first Champions League game of the season at the Bernabeu.