Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid face a daunting run of fixtures before their October 25 trip to Camp Nou for the first Clasico of the season. Trailing Barcelona by six points after seven La Liga games, Madrid’s recent form has raised questions about their ability to challenge Hansi Flick’s dominant side.
Defeats to Real Betis and Atletico Madrid have left Mourinho’s team in fourth place, behind Barcelona, who have won all seven league matches and scored 31 goals. Mourinho acknowledged the gap, saying, "Obviously we want to be first, not second, third, fourth, or fifth. And we want more points than we have." He also pointed to refereeing decisions as factors in Madrid’s struggles.
The schedule ahead offers little respite. Madrid host Villarreal on Saturday and then Sevilla in La Liga before facing Roma and RB Leipzig in the Champions League. Meanwhile, Barcelona’s lead-up to the Clasico includes league games against Getafe and Betis, plus Champions League trips to Galatasaray and Paris Saint-Germain.
Mourinho’s challenge is to close the gap against a Barca side that has been relentless in attack under Flick. While Madrid have shown some improvement since last season’s disappointing campaign under Xabi Alonso and Alvaro Arbeloa, they remain short of the consistency needed to trouble the league leaders.
Vinicius Junior’s form remains a concern. Mourinho defended the Brazilian winger but admitted he is not yet at his "killer" best. Vinicius was substituted in the 2-1 loss to Atletico and failed to score in recent international matches for Brazil against Australia and India. Mourinho will be watching closely as Vinicius faces Villarreal on Saturday, expecting a performance worthy of a starting spot.
Kylian Mbappe continues to impress on the scoring front with seven La Liga goals, but a minor knee injury sustained on international duty has raised questions. Mbappe delayed his return to Madrid and posted a video of himself cycling, despite Mourinho’s public warnings about the risks of that activity for players. Madrid fans have voiced frustration with Mbappe’s focus on his Ballon d’Or candidacy, especially given the club’s failure to secure a major trophy in the last two seasons.
New signing Yan Diomande has yet to fully integrate into the squad. Madrid’s narrow Champions League victory over Inter Milan hinted at ongoing difficulties in controlling matches. Defensively, the team has kept only one clean sheet in eight games across all competitions, while Mourinho has criticised his players for not capitalising on chances to close out games and for allowing opponents back into contests.
Mourinho has also voiced dissatisfaction with refereeing, particularly after losing the Madrid derby to Atletico on September 20. He said after that match, "If they leave us alone, calmly, and let us compete on equal terms, there's still a long way to go."
After three weeks spent regrouping during the international break, Mourinho’s side now face the challenge of translating adjustments into results. Their ability to handle four tough matches before the Clasico will be a clear test of Mourinho’s second spell at the Santiago Bernabeu.
According to Yahoo Sports.
