Mourinho pleads for patience
Mourinho has played down the hype surrounding the latest edition of El Clasico, insisting that his Madrid side remains a work in progress compared to the established machine at Barcelona. Despite a recent uptick in form, including four consecutive victories and a convincing 4-1 Champions League win over RB Leipzig, the former Chelsea boss believes people are overlooking the difference in stability between the two Spanish giants.
"I think the people that thought a week ago Barca would thrash us will keep thinking the same thing. I don't think just for the Paris game, or Madrid's (4-1 win against) Leipzig, they will change their way of thinking," Mourinho stated, as quoted by RTL.
Building a new Madrid project
The Madrid manager was keen to highlight that while Hansi Flick has had significant time to implement his philosophy at Barcelona since arriving earlier in 2024, the situation at the Santiago Bernabeu is vastly different. Mourinho arrived this summer following a two-season drought of major silverware for Los Blancos, and he is adamant that his squad is still in its infancy under his stewardship.
The coach noted that his time with the full squad has been severely limited due to post-World Cup breaks and recent international windows, leaving little room for tactical cohesion on the training pitch. "People look at us like a finished product, but finished products in football are difficult because they are never finished... but they look at us like we're in an advanced phase of the process," Mourinho continued.
"We've been working for three months, out of that you can take pre-season when the players were arriving (back from the World Cup), and the recent international break, then we've been together a month-and-a-half, two months... This is the start of a product, we're in an initial phase where the coach is learning, analysing, bit by bit defining paths, the players are learning about the coach... comparing a team in this state (to more established sides), I think is unfair."
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Clasico form is irrelevant
Despite the six-point gap in the table and Barca's domestic dominance, Mourinho is refusing to let previous results dictate the mood heading into the weekend. WhileBarcelona recently suffered a rare setback against PSG, Madrid enter the contest with momentum, but the coach insists that history and recent form count for very little once the whistle blows in Catalonia.
"We've been in a good dynamic, winning games, playing well, scoring goals, but in the Clasico it doesn't matter what you did before, it has no influence. The Clasico is unique, normally the football world stops to watch it. Hopefully it's a great game. And we win," the coach remarked.
The Lamine Yamal threat
A major talking point ahead of the fixture is the form of Lamine Yamal, with the 19-year-old Spaniard widely tipped to be a frontrunner for the Ballon d'Or. However, Mourinho made it clear that while he acknowledges the teenager's immense talent, he will not be tearing up his tactical blueprint specifically to nullify the Barcelona winger's influence on the right flank.
"He's a great player and great players you respect," Mourinho added when questioned about his defensive strategy. "One thing is respecting, another thing is to change plans, structures, forgetting your own essence. That we will not do, neither for him or any other player of great quality we face."