José Mourinho warns Real Madrid not to be 'obsessed' with European Cup

Posted Wednesday, March 16, 2011 by theguardian.com

• Mourinho ready for 'hour of truth' at home to Lyon
• 'Even if we do not win it again, history will not forget us'

José Mourinho warns Real Madrid not to be 'obsessed' with European Cup
José Mourinho, the Real Madrid coach, said a 10th European Cup would arrive naturally, 'not through obsession'.

Real Madrid stand confronted by their Champions League curse on Wednesday night, with José Mourinho describing the last-16 second-leg tie with Lyon as the "hour of truth". Yet while the Portuguese coach laid out the task before his side in stark terms, noting simply "one team goes home, one goes on", he has urged the club not to become obsessed with the competition.

"This should not become an obsession," Mourinho said, his team tied at 1-1 after the first leg. "We should be relaxed about it. The 10th [European Cup] will arrive naturally, not through an obsession. Last year one team [Barcelona] was obsessed with playing the final in Madrid. At Inter we were not obsessed, we just had hope. And we got there, not them. That is the path that Madrid have to follow. If we work well we will win the competition – if not this year then next. We will fight for it this year but if it doesn't happen, that's not a serious problem. A serious problem is what is happening in Japan.

"Real Madrid are the champions of champions and this is fundamental for us. The pressure is applied by the tournament itself: in the next round, one team will play, the other will have to watch it on TV. But nobody is afraid; I want to play this game. Madrid have won nine European Cups and they want more. I have won it with two clubs and I want to win it again with a third. But even if we do not win it again, history will not forget either of us."

Mourinho called on the crowd to be active in their support of the team. "When we go away we always play against 12," he said. "The Bernabéu is very quiet, it lives the matches in a very relaxed fashion. They applaud when we play well, and we have always performed at home, but I have never seen them and thought: 'They played their part.' I have been told that when it comes to the hour of truth they get behind the team and this is the hour of the truth – it's quarter-finals or out."

Cristiano Ronaldo, La Liga's joint top scorer, has missed Madrid's past two matches with a leg muscle strain but the club said they expect him to play after he trained with the rest of the squad. Mourinho also responded to the comments of the Lyon president, Jean-Michel Aulas, who said the Madrid coach would play for a 0-0 draw. "He spoke like a coach, not a president," Mourinho said, "but maybe he is right. Maybe we will sit and defend. If it finishes 0-0, we're through."