Los Merengues now trail Barcelona by five points, but their Catalant counterparts can stretch that to eight points if they claim a victory against Villarreal in the late kick-off.
Speaking in the post-match press conference, Mourinho offered his reasons why his side saw their 100% home record this season, as well as his personal 150-game unbeaten streak on home soil, come to a crashing end.
“We knew our limitations. The players are dead. Luck is part of football, our rivals had it all and we didn’t,” the ‘Special One’ explained.
When asked about his team’s title chances, Mourinho admitted that the fading hopes are now almost extinguished.
”The mathematics say that the league is not lost yet, but realistically, if the gap goes from five to eight points, then it will practically be impossible.”
The Portuguese then went on to explain the changes his made to the team, including his decision to withdraw Esteban Granero.
“I took him Granero off because he was running out of steam and he didn’t have enough pace. The fact is that aside from Mesut Oezil, we lacked our most creative players, and I wanted two strikers upfront.
“Cristiano Ronaldo, Marcelo, Xabi Alonso, Karim Benzema were all missing, and we had to try another way of playing by pressing further up and becoming more direct.
“Football is unpredictable. We had many chances to score, just two, three, four yards out. At the end, we couldn’t defend any more, we had to score a goal. A 0-0 draw would’ve been just as bad a result. Against Tottenham Hotspur, it would’ve been a good result, or at least not as dramatic.”
Finally, Mourinho revealed whether his three missing key players will be fit to take on Spurs on Tuesday in the first leg of the Champions League.
“If Ronaldo does play, it is because he and I are taking a risk. Our doctor says that he will only be ready to face Athletic Bilbao next weekend, the same with Benzema. Marcelo is out for two weeks.
“Tomorrow, I’ll talk to the injured players and only then will I decide whether we take the risk.”
The 1-0 defeat to Sporting ended Madrid’s 100% record at the Bernabeu in all competitions this term, while also ending Mourinho’s 150-game undefeated run at home.
Link:
Jose Mourinho: My players Are Dead And We Didn’t Have Any Luck Against Sporting Gijon