08/25/26 11:12:00
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08/25 06:55 CDT Mourinho says Vincius Jnior is unfairly targeted but wants
him to manage his emotions better
Mourinho says Vincius Jnior is unfairly targeted but wants him to manage his
emotions better
By TALES AZZONI
AP Sports Writer
MADRID (AP) --- Jos Mourinho, once known for his fiery personality and
frequent touchline outbursts, wants to help Vincius Jnior control his
emotions better.
Mourinho, looking much calmer at the start of his second stint as Real Madrid
coach, said Tuesday that he thinks Vincius is being unfairly targeted, but the
star forward can do better when reacting to provocations.
The Brazilian was involved in several incidents with opposing fans and players
in the team's opening Spanish league match at Espanyol on Saturday. Madrid
hosts Real Sociedad for its second match on Wednesday.
"There is on the field and off the field," Mourinho said. "The reaction to fans
and insults, obviously if they are not racist or homophobic insults, but the
typical insults by fans, then I think he can control it better. His
relationship with the opposing fans, I think he can do better. In the game,
when it comes to the fouls and the accumulation of frustration that he feels,
that's the responsibility of the referees, or the judges, as I like to call
them, in terms of their responsibility to protect the players and the game."
Mourinho said it's harder to help Vincius when it comes to the in-game
incidents, but when it's about his relationship with the opposing fans, then
"it's something that we can work on."
Last year, Mourinho was criticized for attacking Vincius' character after the
player accused an opponent of racially insulting him during a Champions League
match against Benfica. The coach in charge of Benfica at the time suggested
that the Brazil forward incited opposing players with his celebrations after
scoring.
"When I was Benfica's coach, I was only interested about Benfica," Mourinho
said Tuesday.
The veteran Portuguese coach said it's become obvious the difference in the
treatment on the field toward Vincius and toward other players.
"It's gone into a spiral in which the opponents know what they can do and what
they can't do," he said. "If the players can provoke and pressure Vini, either
physically or with words, if the yellow card is only shown after 10 fouls, if
there can be violence, then it's a type of treatment that I don't like."
Mourinho, returning to Madrid after a stint at the club from 2010 to 2013, said
he would likely be quickly sent off if he was in Vincius' shoes in some of the
situations that he faces.
The coach noted, though, that his own behavior has changed significantly over
the years and is not as fiery as he once was.
"I'm think I'm calmer," Mourinho said. "And it's not just now, I've been like
that over the last few years. I feel calmer, with more control of my emotions."
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