Mourinho refuses to compare Real Madrid to Barcelona, turns focus to Atletico derby

Barcelona has scored 28 goals in six matchdays of LaLiga, including a resounding 7-2 win over Racing Santander in midweek, and already holds a three-point lead over Real Madrid. You'd think there was some nervousness building at the Bernabeu. Not so, at least not in Mourinho's press conference, where he went straight to the point when asked whether Barcelona's showings worried him.

"Historically and culturally, Real Madrid cannot be compared to anyone," the Portuguese coach said. And that was that: no comparing his team to Barcelona, he'd rather talk about his own group, its own problems and what needs improving. One line summed up the mood well: "It's getting harder and harder to hear anything positive about Real Madrid," he admitted, though he quickly added that the locker room is well aware of both its shortcomings and its potential, individually and as a team.

A team that struggles but responds

Madrid arrives at the derby with just one loss this season, a 1-0 defeat at Betis, but the road hasn't exactly been smooth. On two occasions the team has needed late goals to secure all three points, most recently Carlos Espi's 91st minute goal in a 3-2 win at Elche, a match in which Madrid had led 2-0 only to watch the hosts equalize late before the happy ending arrived.

Mourinho doesn't hide the fact that his team struggles to sustain its level for the full ninety minutes. He puts it down to the limited time he's had with the squad: "If coaches train for two, three, four, five or ten years and talk about a process and an evolution, imagine when we've only been together for a few months." Even so, he pointed to something he particularly values in this group: the ability to bounce back when games get difficult. "In the three matches where we reached the final minutes needing a goal, we finished with physical and psychological effort and with determination," he explained.

It's a marathon. The league isn't always a straight highway without obstacles. But we'll be there.Jose Mourinho

Mutual respect between old rivals

On Sunday, Mourinho and Diego Simeone will face each other from the touchline for the first time since 2014, when Atletico eliminated Mourinho's Chelsea in the Champions League semifinals. The last derby between the two clubs dates back a year earlier, a 2-1 win for Real Madrid.

Simeone was equally complimentary about his rival: "I'm not one to dwell on things from many years ago. I have enormous respect for Mourinho, I've admired him for a long time, I've followed him and watched him. He knows how highly I regard him. I hope we can compete tomorrow the way we have whenever we've faced him." Mourinho, for his part, was just as direct when discussing his history of comments about the Argentine: "You say so many foolish things over the course of your career. Sometimes the moment gets to you and sometimes it's strategic. But in the end, you either have respect or you don't. We're rivals again, but we're brothers in arms."

Atletico arrives at the Metropolitano two points behind Madrid after six matchdays, with an attack that still hasn't found its rhythm. Julian Alvarez, after his failed attempt to join Barcelona this summer, has barely seen the field, while Alexander Sorloth is injured. The good news is Jonathan David, who arrived this summer and already has two goals in his last two matches. Alvarez started for the first time this season on September 9 against Liverpool, providing an assist, but then missed the games against Real Sociedad and Osasuna. Asked about his availability for the derby, Simeone was clear: "He'll be with us. Afterward we'll decide whether he starts or comes on in the second half."

The Argentine coach also offered his tactical read on the opponent: "They're better than us in transition. When there's a turnover, they look for Mbappe and Vinicius, they play to that strength. We have to read the game well and avoid losing the ball so we don't give them those transitions." On the reinforcements who arrived at Atletico this summer, among them David, Cristian Romero, Alex Grimaldo and Kang-in Lee, Simeone called for calm: "I'm not one for giving advice. It's normal for new players to feel pressure, given the emotion a match like this generates, but they need to stay calm. Soccer is about calm."