Mourinho satisfied despite dropping points

13 January 2013 00:48

Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho has praised the attitude of his players despite firing blanks in their 0-0 draw with Osasuna on Saturday.

Bottom side Osasuna managed to shut out visitors Real for large periods of the game, restricting them to few clear-cut opportunities in an encounter which also saw Kaka sent off.

"It's not easy to create chances here against opponents like these," Mourinho told reporters after the match.

"We had chances to score though, not many, but we had some.

"I liked the attitude of the team, and several players had great games. (Raul) Albiol and (Fabio) Coentrao deserve praise, playing very well despite just returning from long injuries."

Speculation of internal unrest has refused to go away, with Mourinho's recent decision to drop captain Iker Casillas criticised by supporters.

But the coach only had words of praise for the club icon on Saturday, stating: "In our last two games, the team has played well defensively, and he has been a part of that.

"I liked how he played against Celta as well (in the Copa del Rey last week), rising to the occasion to give his team a boost. Nevertheless, it is still too early to tell if he will play against Valencia on Tuesday."

The Liga champions will now turn their attentions to the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey, when they host Ernesto Valverde's Valencia at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu.