Mourinho content with Madrid standing

Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho insisted he is content with his team’s current standing in all competitions.

Saturday’s 3-1 loss to Barcelona ended Real’s 15-game winning streak and allowed their Catalan rivals to catch them at the top of the La Liga table, although Madrid have a game in hand.

The El Clasico defeat has raised doubts over Madrid’s chances of usurping Barca’s throne, but the Portuguese coach says his side are in a better position than Pep Guardiola’s club.

“I would not trade our situation for anyone else’s,” he told reporters at a press conference.

“We had the best record in the history of the Champions League.”

“In La Liga, I look up and I do not see anyone and we have a game in hand. There are three possibilities: we finish the year level on points with Barca, we finish it at the top one point clear, or we finish it at the top three points clear.”

“There is no inferiority. They have the same amount of points as us, and on Saturday, they can have one or three points fewer.”

“Neither winning (the match) and being six points ahead, nor losing it and being level on points, would make us lose our tranquillity and our balance.”

Mourinho added that if Cristiano Ronaldo was jeered by Madrid supporters in the El Clasico, the 26-year-old should not have paid attention to the situation.

“If he is like me, he does not care about whistles,” he explained.

“During the match, there is no time to listen to what is happening out there. It does not seem to be a big problem.”

“Losing a match affected him, just like everyone else, but he does not lose his emotional balance.”

“It is normal that he is more upset than he was two weeks ago. But there is no drama about his situation.”

Meanwhile, the Portuguese trainer has announced that Iker Casillas, Pepe, Angel Di Maria, Lassana Diarra, Fabio Coentrao and Xabi Alonso will all be rested for Tuesday’s Copa del Rey match against Ponferradina.

With Ricardo Carvalho and Alvaro Arbeloa both nursing injuries, Mourinho confirmed that Raphael Varane, Nuri Sahin and Hamit Altintop will be given the nod to start.

“They need to play. Every day that passes, I have the conviction that Varane will be a starter at Madrid for 10 years,” he said.

“He is a great player and he is a kid, he is 18, despite his maturity, as a player and a person.”

“It is important that the other two (Sahin and Altintop) play, because of their injuries.”