Mourinho: "Ten points give you a small room for error"

Jose Mourinho analysed the victory over Levante in the press conference following the match.

“There are many points still at stake and many games yet to be played. Every match is difficult and increasingly so because there is so much at stake for everyone now. Those who want to avoid relegation or play in Europe risk everything. There are 39 points left, which translate into 13 victories, and that’s still a lot. Ten points are just that, but they do give you some room for error. Losing a game won’t push us into a decisive situation. Every game is difficult. Tonight’s was, just like those against Getafe and Zaragoza were.”

“We’ll probably fail as much as we did in the first leg, but this lead allows us to make minor mistakes. We’ll play complicated games on the road, but we’re proving it’s also hard to win against us here. Levante were very well organised from a tactical standpoint. We have to continue winning games because championships are won only when the math says so.”

“I don’t want to comment on what the press says because its interests are different from ours. I tell my players that those who say the championship is over are the same who put pressure on us when we don’t win. This isn’t different for other teams. We must remain calm and avoid talking about other sides.”

“Cristiano Ronaldo’s goal was incredible, fantastic, and I believe it will go around the world during the next few weeks. The entire team feels so and it was a special strike for Cristiano. It was the 4,000th strike at the Bernabeu and he deserves it.”

“I told my men Levante were a tight outfit, that we were giving them the ball and they were then passing it forward to Kone. I told them we had to play touch football and avoid losing it. The crowd doesn’t like it when we keep the ball, unlike that at other stadiums. If we win this league, it won’t be due to the goalaverage, but because we’ll have more points than Barcelona. I wanted my men to play touch football, but they felt some pressure.”

“We’re very confident but may lack concentration at the start of our games. We’re giving strong performances in the second halves we play at home. Zaragoza scored from a quick set piece and today… Well, the good thing is we’re very confident and that many of our men can score. We have many chances on target and we usually score, but we would have lost 1-0 by half-time had we not scored on the 44-minute mark. We have to improve on that because the day will come in which we’ll miss.”

“I won’t play the Copa del Rey final, so I don’t care if it’s held here or in China.”