Mourinho: "The fact that we're fighting to win three titles makes it easy to motivate my players"
Jose Mourinho addressed the media prior to leaving for A Coruña with the team.
"Riazor will be a tough venue. Deportivo have only lost at home against Barcelona and Almeria. It's always been complicated for Real Madrid to win there, but the team managed to win last year after many years failing to do so."
"Canales was injured today during a training session in which players didn't come into contact with one another too much. You can never control when a player gets injured. There is no way to protect a player against injuries."
"Arbeloa is a player a coach can always count on. He is always available and concentrates hard regardless of how long he's on the pitch. He is always ready for the coach and the team. He is never the best player on the pitch, but that's not his role. He controls his opponent and is versatile. He is a team worker and I like him very much. I like all defenders and they're all doing well."
"My team is very motivated because we must win all three competitions. The fact that we're fighting to win three titles makes it easy to motivate my players."
"Only one of the eight teams that have played the first leg of the Champions League Last 16 won at home. Small details make all the difference."
"It's very easy to show my men a yellow card. Some teams never get booked for identical actions and others are less protected. You only need to look at the last two weeks in the Champions League to realise this. A yellow booking would be a red card for us."
"We are having a very good run in La Liga and we don't top the table only because of Guardiola's Barcelona. Pep is a very prestigious coach. The time one has coached isn't important; it's what you achieve that counts. Guardiola has done enough to be regarded as one of the best coaches in the world."
