Sami Khedira has backed his Coach Jose Mourinho for publicly lambasting the Real Madrid players after their weekend defeat at Sevilla.
Los Blancos fell to a 1-0 defeat, prompting Mourinho post-match to declare that he ‘had no team’, that he wished he could have substituted seven of the players at half-time and that a majority of them were not as focused as he wanted on football.
“Obviously the Coach has responsibility but the players are responsible to play well and in Sevilla we did not do as well as we should have,” Khedira reflected at today’s Champions League pre-match Press conference.
“Mourinho is right in his complaints. We played very badly and he has every right to voice his opinion in public. For me, football is the priority.”
Real welcome Roberto Mancini’s English champions Manchester City to the Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday evening, as the Champions League group stages begin.
“Now we must focus on the Champions League. The tournament is very difficult and we have great enthusiasm for it.
“Defending the League title is also a challenge for everyone, so we will not just focus on one competition.
“Our self-esteem is not very high, but you have to get it back and you have to get in tune. This will be a great occasion.”
Khedira was also asked about his recent form for Los Merengues.
“I do not share the view that I play better for Germany than I do Madrid. I always give my all, like [Mesut] Ozil.
“The Coach is the one who decides where and when I play, but I always do so with the same motivation. For Madrid I play in a different position to that which I do with Germany.
“Tomorrow I have a big challenge in facing [Yaya] Toure, even if we also cannot forget the rest of their players. City have a great team. Hopefully, we will get things right.”
