Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho has warned against judging his team against Barcelona's established success ahead of Sunday's Clasico, insisting his second spell at the Santiago Bernabeu remains a work in progress despite a strong start.
Mourinho returns to Camp Nou with Madrid having won their last four matches across La Liga and the Champions League, but they sit third in the standings, six points behind defending champions Barcelona, who have maintained a perfect league record.
Barcelona, coached by Hansi Flick, have won back-to-back La Liga titles and scored 39 goals in their first nine league games. Madrid have scored 23, although they have also demonstrated their attacking potential, netting four or more goals in four league matches.
The contrasting records have fueled expectations that Barcelona could dominate Sunday's encounter. Mourinho, however, believes those assessments overlook the time needed to build a team capable of consistently challenging for major honors.
"I think the people that thought a week ago Barca would thrash us will keep thinking the same thing," Mourinho told reporters Saturday.
"I don't think just for the Paris game, or Madrid's (4-1 win against) Leipzig, they will change their way of thinking."
Barcelona suffered their first defeat of the season in a 4-2 loss to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on Tuesday, while Madrid defeated RB Leipzig 4-1 at home. Mourinho said neither result should dramatically alter perceptions of the teams ahead of a fixture that often defies form.
The Portuguese coach has been in charge for only a few months since returning to Madrid, while Flick took over Barcelona in 2024 and has had considerably more time to establish his methods.
Mourinho said his squad was still learning his tactical expectations and developing an identity, making comparisons with a more settled Barcelona side premature.
"People look at us like a finished product, but finished products in football are difficult because they are never finished," he said.
"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."
Mourinho added that his ambitions for Madrid remained unchanged despite the gap between the teams.
"No. Madrid with Mourinho wins titles," he said when asked whether Sunday's match would determine if his side could compete for silverware.
The coach has won 10 of his 12 matches since returning to the club, but his immediate challenge is to close the gap on a Barcelona team that has enjoyed a commanding run of results in the rivalry.
Flick's side have won six of their seven Clasicos against Madrid since his arrival, scoring 22 goals and conceding 11. Sunday's meeting will offer Mourinho an early opportunity to measure his progress against one of his team's biggest obstacles.
Mourinho prepares for another Clasico battle
Mourinho's return revives a rivalry that defined much of his first spell at Madrid between 2010 and 2013, when he attempted to break Barcelona's dominance under Pep Guardiola.
He achieved that goal by guiding Madrid to the 2011-12 La Liga title, finishing with a record 100 points. But his tenure was also marked by fierce confrontations with Barcelona, both on the pitch and in public.
The rivalry reached an extraordinary intensity during the 2010-11 season, when the sides met four times in 18 days. The first encounter ended in a 1-1 league draw, before Madrid beat Barcelona in the Copa del Rey final through Cristiano Ronaldo's extra-time winner.
Barcelona responded by eliminating Madrid in the Champions League semifinals, winning the first leg 2-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu. Madrid defender Pepe was sent off, and Mourinho described the decision as a "scandal." A 1-1 draw in the return leg sent Barcelona through to the final, which they won.
The period also produced one of the rivalry's most notorious incidents. During a heated confrontation in August 2011, Mourinho poked Barcelona assistant coach Tito Vilanova in the eye.
Mourinho had previously worked at Barcelona as an assistant to Bobby Robson and Louis van Gaal in the 1990s. He was later overlooked for the head coaching position in 2008, when the club appointed Guardiola to replace Frank Rijkaard.
His battles with Guardiola and Lionel Messi became central to the rivalry, sometimes overshadowing the football itself. Guardiola once said he could not and would not compete with Mourinho, whom he called the "boss," in the press room.
Mourinho's confrontational approach has resurfaced during his second Madrid spell. Following a derby defeat to Atletico Madrid, he presented printed evidence of incidents he believed warranted two red cards for the opposition. He also declined to attend a news conference after Vinicius Junior was sent off against Villarreal.
Critics have often interpreted such actions as attempts to divert attention from his team's performances. A victory against Barcelona would strengthen his position and give him a more direct answer to questions about Madrid's progress.
President Florentino Perez brought Mourinho back in part to restore Madrid's ability to compete consistently with Flick's Barcelona, who have become the dominant side in recent meetings.
Tactical decisions
Despite his insistence that the team remains a work in progress, Mourinho has seen encouraging signs during Madrid's recent winning run.
He has begun settling on preferred selections after rotating players during the opening weeks of the season. Federico Valverde, whom Mourinho initially did not consider a natural right-back, has started in that position in Madrid's last two matches.
The Uruguay international impressed in the Champions League victory over Leipzig, helping Madrid create attacking opportunities down the right flank.
"We created a lot on that side, and Fede had a fantastic match," Mourinho said after the game.
Valverde's move to defense has also opened space in midfield for other options. Arda Guler featured in that role against Sevilla, while Bernardo Silva was deployed against Leipzig, giving Madrid additional possession and improving their ability to build attacks.
The Clasico presents a different tactical challenge, however. Barcelona's attacking movement and ability to control possession could force Mourinho to adopt a more cautious approach, potentially using a defensive midfielder or even a center-back in an advanced role, as he did with Pepe during his first spell at Madrid.
Mourinho declined to outline any specific plans for containing Barcelona's Lamine Yamal, insisting that Madrid would not abandon their own identity to neutralize an individual opponent.
The 19-year-old Spain international has been in outstanding form and is hoping to win the Ballon d'Or on Monday.
"He's a great player and great players you respect," Mourinho said.
"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."
The Madrid coach also dismissed the idea that recent results would determine Sunday's outcome, describing the Clasico as a contest unlike any other in club football.
"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," he said.
"The Clasico is unique, normally the football world stops to watch it. Hopefully it's a great game. And we win."
Barcelona will also have individual milestones in sight. Flick is approaching his 100th victory in charge and could guide the team to a new record for the best start to a La Liga season, surpassing Madrid's previous mark of nine consecutive wins set in 1968-69.
The German coach played down the significance of Barcelona's defeat in Paris, saying his players had recovered and were ready for the challenge.
"El Clasico is different. It's the best game football has to offer, and everyone will be watching," Flick said. "I have a good feeling. The players have recovered and are ready for the game. The team is really looking forward to playing it."