Real Madrid star players are compatible: Mourinho

AFP | Madrid

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New Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho yesterday insisted his team's star players could fit together ahead of Los Blancos' opening La Liga game at Espanyol.

Mourinho's predecessors Carlo Ancelotti, Xabi Alonso and Alvaro Arbeloa struggled to strike a balance between attack and defence while lining up with Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham.

Madrid won the Champions League in 2024 with England international Bellingham and Brazilian winger Vinicius playing key roles, but since French superstar Mbappe arrived that summer, the club have not lifted a major trophy.

"They are incredible players and incredible players want to play with incredible players," Mourinho told reporters.

"Tactically, it could be tricky. Ancelotti has found a set-up with Brazil perfect for Vini, (Didier) Deschamps has found one with France perfect for Kylian, (Thomas) Tuchel one perfect for Jude, it's harder for Mourinho to do it for the three of them.

"We're on it. I want the three, when all three play, to feel comfortable on the pitch... they are three players of great quality.

"They don't play in incompatible positions. We will have a great season with them."

However Madrid's stars can consider themselves warned -- they must contribute in defence this season.

"We have to defend with 11 players," said Mourinho.

"If a team is pushing us back and giving us problems in our final third, we all have to defend."

Mourinho said in his second spell at Real Madrid, after previously coaching the team between 2010-2013, he hopes his players make life hard for him in terms of team selection.

"There will be moments of frustration, because of results -- or personal frustration," said the 63-year-old coach.

"I told the players tomorrow there will come a moment of frustration for many of them because it will be the first time that I have to pick one as a starter and the other goes to the bench and feels frustrated, they have to digest that individually and as a group.

"I'm here to help them, but I can't start a game with 15 players, only 11 can play. I hope each game is difficult for me, because they keep working in the way they are working.

"The day that one lowers his level because of frustration, decisions will be easy for me. I want hard decisions... the team needs to know how to navigate moments of frustration."