Mourinho can deal with the pressure at Real Madrid, says Karanka

Posted Saturday, November 24, 2012 by Goal.com

The Portuguese's assistant has claimed that his boss is still intent on winning trophies with the capital club, and hinted that Mesut Ozil could return to the starting line-up

Real Madrid assistant coach Aitor Karanka has no worries of Jose Mourinho's ability to deal with the pressure involved with coaching the club.

The capital club endured a mixed start to their Liga season, with rumours linking the trainer away from the club prevalent, but the former Athletic Bilbao midfielder says his superior is still as hungry to win as ever.

"The gaffer has been working at this level for many years, both enjoying himself and suffering," he told reporters at a press conference.

"He knows how to handle the pressure and he is even more determined to keep winning trophies, and that's why he's here."

He then admitted that his side might be jaded for Saturday's trip to Betis, having played with 10 men for a portion of Wednesday's match with Manchester City.

"By playing on Wednesday and playing [on Saturday] we have a day's less rest than other teams and we will have to see what condition the players are in.

"We are weighing up the possibility of making changes depending on how the players feel."

Mesut Ozil might make a return to the pitch on Saturday, having missed the Champions League encounter because of a tactical reshuffle.

"It was a tactical and technical decision to leave Ozil out against City. We thought that Luka Modric would be able to offer us more in the match."