Jose Mourinho calls Real Madrid comparisons with Barcelona ‘unfair’ ahead of El Clasico

Jose Mourinho has described comparisons between Real Madrid and Barcelona as “unfair” ahead of Sunday’s El Clasico at Camp Nou, insisting his team is still in the early stages of development. According to GOAL, the Portuguese coach believes his side should not be judged against Barcelona’s established playing style, with Real Madrid trailing their rivals by six points in La Liga.

Mourinho’s team head into the encounter on the back of four consecutive victories, including a 4-1 Champions League win over RB Leipzig. However, he stressed that his squad needs more time to adapt to his methods.

“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 said. The Real Madrid manager also acknowledged Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal’s quality but insisted he would not abandon his tactical principles to contain the teenager.

“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.”