Madrid’s derby defeat has left José Mourinho facing a familiar storm: not only a 2-1 loss to Atlético Madrid, but a fierce backlash over his post-match attack on referee Miguel Ángel Ortiz Arias.
The Portuguese coach, 63, criticised the officiating after Sunday’s match, shifting much of the immediate debate away from Real Madrid’s display. Two days later, the response from the Catalan press was pointed, with Mourinho’s conduct and the decision to bring him back to the Bernabéu both under scrutiny.
Quick facts
- Atlético Madrid beat Real Madrid 2-1 in Sunday’s derby.
- Mourinho criticised referee Miguel Ángel Ortiz Arias after the defeat.
- Real were reduced to 10 men during the second half.
- Arda Güler registered Real’s only shot mentioned from the first period.
- Mourinho previously coached Real Madrid between 2010 and 2013.
The criticism centred on the sense that Mourinho’s public response had once again become bigger than the football. One Catalan newspaper argued that the coach and his staff appeared better prepared for press conferences than matches, accusing him of generating noise when the team is failing to function.
Its assessment was that the tactic no longer conceals Real’s shortcomings. Instead, the argument went, the controversy gives their opponents more room to grow while attention is pulled away from the side’s shortcomings on the pitch.
Another leading Barcelona-based title was equally dismissive of Madrid’s performance. It described a first half lacking pace, attacking thrust and clear chances, with Güler’s effort the only shot highlighted from Real’s opening 45 minutes.
Real’s display after the red card was judged even more severely. The team were portrayed as unrecognisable: short of fight, intensity and a serious attacking purpose, despite the scale of the derby occasion.
Questions over the new project
The same criticism has extended to Florentino Pérez’s choice to appoint Mourinho for a second spell. His return had been presented as a route to discipline, with the expectation that even Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior would contribute defensively under the Portuguese coach.
That promise is already being challenged after the Atlético loss. The suggestion is that the hoped-for change in standards has not yet appeared, while Real have instead been drawn back into an atmosphere of permanent drama.
Mourinho’s first period in charge ran from 2010 to 2013. His latest return was supposed to bring a revolution, but the early verdict from across Spain’s football media is that the Bernabéu has been handed another serial storyline rather than a settled side.
The contrast with Pep Guardiola has also been revived. Guardiola, after a decade filled with success at Barcelona and Manchester City, is taking a sabbatical, while Mourinho has returned following a succession of recent projects marked by conflict and tension.
For now, Atlético have the derby, Real have the questions, and Mourinho’s words have ensured that the referee remains at the centre of a defeat Madrid still has to explain on the pitch.
