Real Madrid coach José Mourinho will once again face one of the most intense football rivalries on Sunday, playing his first El Clásico match since returning to the club. He is set to meet with La Liga leaders, Barcelona, at Camp Nou stadium.
The initial period of the Portuguese veteran's tenure in Madrid was largely defined by the fight to halt Barcelona's dominance under Pep Guardiola, which led to the relationship between the Spanish giants falling to its lowest point. Mourinho managed to interrupt this period by leading Real Madrid to the Spanish championship title in 2012, which marked the culmination of his reign from 2010 to 2013.
During that time, El Clásico matches became increasingly exciting—perhaps not for all positive reasons—as he and his team clashed with their counterparts from Barcelona both on the field and in the media space. In the 1990s, the 63-year-old coach worked as an assistant at Barcelona under Bobby Robson and Louis van Gaal, but in 2008, he did not get a chance under Guardiola when the Catalans replaced Frank Rijkaard.
Frequent confrontations between Mourinho, Guardiola, Lionel Messi, and even Madrid icons like Iker Casillas sometimes overshadowed his sporting achievements.
The most well-known reason for conflict was an incident in August 2011, when Mourinho hit the eye of then-Barcelona assistant Tito Vilanova. Earlier that year, at the end of the previous season, Madrid and Barça played four matches in just 18 days, demonstrating the intensity of the rivalry.
The first meeting took place within La Liga and ended in a 1-1 draw, which helped Barcelona move closer to retaining the Spanish championship title, while Madrid lagged behind. In the second match, Madrid defeated Barça in the Copa del Rey, thanks to a goal from Cristiano Ronaldo in extra time.
Subsequently, the Catalans overcame the 'White Lions' in the UEFA Champions League semi-final, winning the first match 2-0 at the Santiago Bernabéu, during which Madrid defender Pepe was sent off. Mourinho called this a 'scandal.' Barcelona held Real Madrid to a 1-1 draw in the second match to advance to the final, which they ultimately won. It was during this period that Guardiola stated that he could not and would not compete with 'the boss' Mourinho in press conferences.
Mourinho began his second stint in Madrid with an active stance on this matter.
The coach displayed printouts of incidents after losing the derby, trying to prove his point that Atlético Madrid deserved two red cards, and also refused to attend a press conference after Vinícius Júnior's sending-off in the match against Villarreal. Many believe that Mourinho uses such tactics as a way to distract attention and relieve pressure on the team when it performs poorly.
A victory in El Clásico might prompt him to focus on football, and the stoppage of Hansi Flick—a two-time Spanish champion—is one of the main reasons why Florentino Pérez hired him again. Flick's team at Barcelona won six out of seven El Clásico matches against Real Madrid since the German arrived, scoring 22 goals and conceding only 11.
Mourinho insists that his team cannot reach the desired level in such a short time in charge. 'I have been here for more than 100 days. Obviously, we are not where I want to be, but there are things we are doing today better than before,' the coach stated.
'Madrid' has won its last four matches in La Liga and the Champions League, and some preferences have begun to show after distributing playing time at the start of the season. Although Mourinho initially did not consider midfielder Federico Valverde as a right-back, where he played previously, in the last two matches he placed the Uruguayan in this position instead of Denzel Dumfries and Trent Alexander-Arnold.
'We created a lot on this side, and Fede had a fantastic match,' Mourinho said after the victory over Leipzig. Against Sevilla on Sunday, Mourinho fielded Arda Güler in midfield instead of Valverde, and later Bernardo Silva against the German team, during which Madrid improved its ball play and maintained more possession.
However, El Clásico presents a different challenge. Mourinho, who once deployed defender Pepe in central midfield against Barcelona, may return to his usual style to disrupt the home team's fluid football.