"What? Me worry?"
Via ESPN-Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho said Monday that he is not feeling more pressure for his team to perform well in the Champions League after its subpar start in La Liga.
Mourinho, whose Real Madrid side open their Champions League campaign against City on Tuesday night, dismissed suggestions that with Barcelona already having opened up an eight-point league in La Liga, his side would come under greater pressure to get off to a good start in Europe.
"At this level, players and managers have already won things," he said. "All of us have titles, professional and economic stability, we needn't be worried about people nor waiting on their reaction.
"No one pressures me, I pressure myself. No one motivates me, I motivate myself also.
Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini, meanwhile, said he sees no reason why the reigning Barclays Premier League champions should be intimidated by the nine-time European title-winners.
"Our mentality is not to go there -- to Madrid or anywhere -- for a draw, or to lose. We want to win always," he said. "But we know it will be a tough game. We play against one of the best teams in the world, but we want to do our job well.I think it will be a fantastic game, and a fantastic for moment for everyone at the club."
Real's chief threat is former Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo, who scored a remarkable 60 goals last season.
Yet Mancini is wary of focusing too much on just one man.
"Real Madrid don't have only Ronaldo. Ronaldo is, with (Lionel) Messi, the best player in the world but they have 15, 16, 18 players at the top," he said.
City might get a boost Tuesday with the return of Sergio Aguero. Last season's top scorer is to travel with City in the hope of proving his fitness after a month out with a knee injury.
Mourinho expressed confidence that his team would be ready for the test that Manchester City will provide Tuesday.
"The conviction is that tomorrow we will have a team. A determined, compact and solid team."
Real have started their own domestic campaign poorly, winning just once in their first four league matches, but Mourinho insists he will not make wholesale changes despite questioning some of his players' commitment after Saturday's 1-0 defeat to Sevilla.
"The lineup will not be very different, nor will I try to show any player that they are not in the best condition," he said. "It will be the best that I consider to play against opposition full of players of the highest level.
"I don't believe I have created doubts. The principal person responsible is me. When my teams win, we win together, and when we lose, I am the one responsible.
He said his comments to the media were't any different than the ones he made to his own team earlier.
"Before losing to Sevilla I said to the players what I then said in the press conference. For this reason it is not a criticism but a conviction. I said it to them before the game.
"Football is about today and tomorrow, not yesterday. Yesterday is history. I haven't been able to keep my players motivated and concentrated at the top level and that is my fault."
He also compared the investment made by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al-Nahyan since he bought
Manchester City in 2008 to that of Roman Abramovich at Mourinho's old club, Chelsea.
"I don't think it is very different to Chelsea," he said. "Since Roman bought the club, (Claudio) Ranieri was the first coach, then I came and we won the first league, some cups and some more titles. Carlo (Ancelotti) then came and they continued to win and finally they won the Champions League.
"With City it started off with Mark Hughes, they started spending money and buying good players. Then Roberto (Mancini) came and he has done a very good job. He has created a great squad, the first cup then the first title arrived," he continued.
"I don't know if it is this season or next season with Roberto, or with another person in the future, but normally in the direction the club is going, sooner or later they will win the big cup."
Information from Press Association was used in this report.
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