Soccer:Jose Mourinho believes he is the ideal person to bring long-term stability to Real Madrid, and has played down the significance of their disappointing opening day draw at Real Mallorca.
Real were held 0-0 on Sunday while arch-rivals Barcelona swept aside Racing Santander 3-0 opening up an immediate two point lead in the La Liga standings. The champions only dropped 15 points on their way to the title last season.
"I am a coach not Harry Potter," Mourinho said. "He is a magician. Magic is fiction and I live for football which is real. I've only been two months in Madrid. Do you know how many training sessions I have had with everyone together, including the new signings? Not even 10."
Last season's treble-winning coach with Inter Milan was brought in to replace Manuel Pellegrini, in an attempt to end a run of two trophyless seasons at the Bernabeu and to break Barcelona's dominance of La Liga.
"My profile as a coach is different to those they have had in recent years," he added. "If things go badly and I have to leave . . . I would have one of the best clubs in the world waiting for me.
"This personal stability allows me to say I am the ideal person to be at Madrid because I fear nothing. Madrid need stability and I'm here to give it. Madrid is in many ways a conflict of footballing ideas. Coach after coach after coach. They need stability."
Mourinho signed a four-year contract in May to become their tenth coach since Vicente del Bosque was sacked in 2003.