Champions League, Mourinho: 'Vinicius jr? For me, the only thing that is untouchable is the coat of arms.

"For me no player is untouchable." On the eve of the Champions League match against Leipzig, José Mourinho sent a clear message to the dressing room. The Real Madrid coach, when asked about the negative moment that the Brazilian Vinicius Junior is experiencing - disqualified for the next three La Liga matches and threatened by the rise of the young Ivorian Yan Diomandé - replied in a press conference: "Here, the only thing that is untouchable is the coat of arms. No player is. It is not a question of status, of the captain's armband on the arm or of the amount spent to sign him. What makes a player untouchable is his performance on the pitch".

The Portuguese coach, however, confirmed that Vinicius will be the starter against Leipzig, without specifying whether he will take the place of Diomandé - who is reunited with his former club - or not: "I can't reveal my cards. Vinicius is a left winger. I could perhaps use him in other roles, in certain scenarios, but that is his natural position. As for Diomandé, he shouldn't know in advance whether he will play or not."

The "Special One" admitted that his team lacks "many things" to reach the level he would like, while specifying that he is not "one of those stubborn coaches, ready to die with their own ideas".

A few days after an already decisive Clásico in La Liga against Barcelona - still unbeaten leaders - Real has the opportunity to get closer to qualifying for the knockout phase of the Champions League, in the event of a third victory in three days.