Mourinho Hopes Winning Becomes Normal for Real
Jose Mourinho admitted his Real Madrid side at last ending their winless record against French side Lyon at the Stade de Gerland with a 2-0 victory in their Champions League group match was an important moment.
However, the Portuguese - known as the 'Special One' after huge success at Porto and then Chelsea - added he wanted such occasions to become normal for a side he claimed has a greater history than any other side including bitter rivals Barcelona.
"Before I came to the club, Madrid always lost when they played here, but under me we have managed one draw and a win in Lyon, despite the fact that tonight (Wednesday) they created lots of problems for us," he said.
"What we are achieving here at the moment is important but I want these sorts of things to be normal.”
"For me, the thing that is not normal at a club like Madrid is to go so long without achieving success in Europe, and to go so long without winning at places like this.”
"We want to go through to the last 16 as top seeds," he added, his mind turning to the task of sealing first place in Group D with a win at home to Dinamo Zagreb in their next game later this month.
Mourinho, who guided Inter Milan to the Champions League trophy in 2010 before decamping to Real, is mindful his first season in charge was for him a failure as they only won the Spanish Cup while Barca won the title and the Champions League.
Hence, the 48-year-old - who had to sit and watch as Barcelona outclassed his side in last season's Champions League semi-finals - is desperate to coach Real to a 10th Champions League/European Cup trophy.
"Madrid as a club have a greater history than anyone else in the game and I think any coach at this club needs to see these kind of achievements as normal."
Real not only ended their search for a win at the Stade de Gerland, they also condemned Lyon to a first home defeat in any competition in 25 matches, a run stretching back over a year.
Mourinho's counterpart Remi Garde admitted that the gulf between the clubs is now a huge one.
"You cannot ever use the word insurmountable in football, but there is definitely a massive gap between us," he said.
Real Madrid are not just trying to become the major force in Europe again, they are also desperately seeking to end Barcelona's domestic dominance.
They went clear at the top of La Liga for the first the time in a year at the weekend, and after recording their ninth successive win in all competitions in Lyon, the focus returns to the domestic scene.
Madrid entertain Osasuna on Sunday, but there is already a home clash with Barcelona on the horizon next month.
Victory over them would surely be greeted as more than just an important moment for Mourinho and the Real fans - though of course the Portuguese maestro will hope it will become the norm.
Source: Agence France Presse
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