Real Madrid still can't move past their defeat to Atletico Madrid in the capital derby, with the row over refereeing decisions overshadowing any real debate about the team's performance and the reasons behind their slump.
Kylian Mbappe broke ranks. The French star's stance differed sharply from the club's post-match line, as he called for a focus on the areas the team can improve rather than pinning the negative results on refereeing errors or the officials.
In his latest comments, Mbappe distanced himself from any argument centred on the referees. He stressed that he has no wish to keep talking about officiating, insisting Real Madrid must work harder to rediscover their level and get back to fighting for titles.
His words came in response to a question about whether Real Madrid are being denied a fair chance to compete. "I don't think I've ever been a player who talks a lot about the referee, and I won't start now," he said. "I think about things, but I keep them to myself."
Referees are human and make mistakes during matches, Mbappe acknowledged. But he refused to be drawn into lengthy debates about their decisions or to make them the story after every poor result.
Contrast that with Mourinho after the derby defeat. The Portuguese coach devoted much of his press conference to a number of contentious refereeing calls, presenting images and situations he saw as resembling interventions in other matches, and arguing that some had favoured Atletico Madrid or Barcelona.
Mourinho went on at length about the incidents that angered him. He felt several challenges deserved harsher punishment and pointed to inconsistency in how similar situations are handled from one game to the next. The result was that talk of the officials buried any discussion of the level Real Madrid actually produced in the derby.
Mourinho's current stance also jars with things he has said before. He once declared his faith in Spanish refereeing, and after one match said he trusts the referee before every game, even when decisions after the final whistle displease him or draw his objection.
Mbappe, by contrast, believes Real Madrid cannot explain their crisis through refereeing alone. The team must look at its own performance and address the weaknesses exposed in recent matches.
"The others can talk, but we have to do more and work so that the belief returns at Real Madrid, and so that the titles return," the French star said.
That position sets Mbappe apart from the official line circulating inside the club, at a time when Real Madrid are trying to pinpoint the reasons for their recent decline.
Beyond the refereeing storm, the team faces criticism over its technical level and its ability to impose its style in the big matches, along with question marks over positions that never got the reinforcements they needed.
The missing signings loom large here too. Several targets were seen as essential to keep the team balanced and sharpen its edge, and the debate rumbles on over the period since Toni Kroos's retirement and how his departure has hit Real Madrid's play and their grip on the tempo of matches.