Benitez cools Mourinho war of words

The Madrid boss refused to fan the flames further, while he was quiet on potential summer moves for David de Gea and Marco Reus

Real Madrid coach Rafael Benitez has opted to play down the reignited feud between himself and Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho, instead looking only to “speak about football” at a press conference on Wednesday.

Benitez’s wife Montse reopened the pair’s long-running rivalry when she playfully suggested the ex-Napoli boss had been appointed as Carlo Ancelotti’s successor to help clear up the “mess” left by Mourinho at the Santiago Bernabeu in 2013 after he was previously appointed at Inter and Chelsea shortly after the Portuguese enjoyed successful stints with both.

Mourinho consequently launched a scathing attack at Benitez’s wife and suggested “she needs to occupy her time and if she takes care of her husband’s diet she will have less time to speak about me”.

The Chelsea manager also accused Benitez of undoing his good work at Inter following their treble success, but Benitez was in no mood to keep the argument going.

“Mourinho’s comments? I’m the Real Madrid coach. I like football, I understand football and for this reason I only speak about football. 

“We are here [in China] to prepare for the game against AC Milan and a tour that is going very well.

“I want to talk about the present and the future, which I hope will be here at Madrid for many years.”

Benitez was also questioned about potential moves for David de Gea and Marco Reus, but made it clear that no decisions have been made regarding Madrid’s transfer plans as of yet.

“I already have a great team and I am happy with my players. I am focused only on preparing for this last game of the tour against Milan.

“When we get back to Madrid we will make a more in-depth study and evaluate the squad. Today, I’m only thinking about the group and this group is very good.

“If I can improve the team, then I will try to do that. I am focused on trying to get the players to improve day by day.”

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