Mourinho´s focus not on record

Real Madrid welcome Levante to the Bernabeu in La Liga on Saturday, as Jose Mourinho prepares to face a date with destiny.

Should Mourinho’s men avoid defeat against the league’s 15th-placed side, it will be nine years since the Portuguese last lost at home as a manager. His last defeat on home territory came when he was in charge at Porto on February 23, 2002.

When quizzed on the long-standing record, however, Mourinho insisted that his focus was on reducing Barcelona’s lead at the top of La Liga.

“I don’t do anything to maintain my record. If we are drawing with fifteen minutes to go, I don’t order my team to defend in order to maintain my home record of nine years undefeated,” the former Inter Milan and Chelsea boss said.

“If you journalists didn’t tell me how many games or years it is, then I wouldn’t really know. Tomorrow, what I want is to win the game – not to defend my record.”

“I consider Levante the most important match of my career, because it is tomorrow. The next 100 days are as important as the last 100 days.”

Mourinho said the mentality of playing 24 hours prior to their title rivals Barcelona meant nothing, and all Real could do to better their hopes of catching the Catalans would be win.

“That they give us the chance to play a day ahead of Barcelona is either to trick us or has no significance. Barcelona play on Sunday, and if we win then we will be two points behind, but if they win we will be back to five. It is the story of pressure … and this doesn’t create pressure,” he said.