He used the session to lay out the terms of his second spell in charge — calmer in tone than his first stint 13 years ago, but no less demanding.
Asked how he felt heading into Saturday's league opener against Espanyol, Mourinho played down any sense of nerves.
"I'm fine. It's the first official match of the season. I'm calm. It's one more season and one more match," he said. "The squad has the difficulty of starting at different moments. Some players have had 36 training sessions and five matches, others fewer. I've also been able to prepare differentiated work for everyone.
"If you tell me I have one more week to prepare things I'd say yes, but we're tired of friendlies."
He drew a distinction between pressure and the adrenaline he says he needs.
"I wouldn't call it pressure, I'd call it adrenaline that arrives and is positive. I want it, and the day I don't feel it, something isn't right," Mourinho said. "I don't feel pressure about the debut, and I feel confidence because of the work we've done.
"I have a lot of confidence in the players' ambition and mentality, in the passion they're showing me every day. Tomorrow, when we get on the plane, we'll be convinced we're coming back with the three points."
On what would constitute a successful season, Mourinho was blunt about how he measures it.
"There are many ways to look at a successful season, but in the end the only pragmatic way is results," he said. "A lot of good work goes into growing a club's structure, preparing it for the next 10 years. But in the end it's results that count. We have four competitions, or three plus a smaller one if you want to put it that way. But finishing a Real Madrid season without trophies is not a successful season."
Mourinho confirmed academy players Rivas, Cestero and Ciria would be on the bench for the opener, with Éder Militão, Rodrygo and Ferland Mendy all sidelined long-term.
"I like working with 20-21 players, 22 at most," he said. "The academy players are filling these available positions and working very well with us. It won't always be the same players. I also want to motivate the kids and make them understand the door is open."
Pressed on Vinicius Júnior's new contract, Mourinho said the player's commitment had never been in doubt in his own mind.
"The news wasn't a surprise. My first question was: does this one want to stay or not? At that point I was completely at ease," he said. "I don't want to get into whether he's one of the best three in the world or not. But the best have to be here."
Asked what he felt the squad needed most, Mourinho pointed to full commitment over 90 minutes as non-negotiable.
"We need to be a team, work well, and not try to negotiate things that are non-negotiable. Commitment has no way of not being there every minute of every match," he said. "We have to get through moments of frustration that will come from a bad result or personal disappointment... I don't want easy decisions, I want difficult ones."