José Mourinho has voiced anger at La Liga’s scheduling after Real Madrid beat Valencia 3-0 at Mestalla, arguing that his squad need time to recover following an intense sequence of fixtures and travel.

Key takeaways

• Real Madrid defeated Valencia by three goals without reply on Saturday.
• Mourinho said the recent run of matches had placed excessive demands on his players.
• The Portuguese coach directed his criticism at La Liga and its president, Javier Tebas.
• Federico Valverde, Arda Güler and Kylian Mbappé scored in the win.
• The result left Madrid level with Barcelona on points at the summit of La Liga.

Mourinho attacks fixture planning

Speaking after the match in Valencia, Mourinho expressed his frustration over the number of games Real Madrid had been required to play within a limited period.

“I hope La Liga does this joke to someone else, not to us again,” Mourinho said.

He added: “Tebas’s La Liga holds the power. I just hope they don’t pull a stunt like this again. The marathon of matches we’ve had this week has been too much. The players need rest.”

International call-ups add to recovery concerns

Mourinho also pointed out that several members of his squad were due to report for international duty, further reducing the opportunity for them to recover from the demands of the club calendar.

He said his coaching staff would have provided specific recovery work and additional care had those players stayed in Madrid rather than leaving to join their national teams.

On the pitch, Madrid claimed a convincing victory thanks to strikes from Valverde, Güler and Mbappé. The three-goal success at Mestalla kept Mourinho’s side alongside Barcelona at the top of the league standings.