The Real Reason Why Jose Mourinho Snubbed Postmatch Duties After Real Madrid Win
In the same interview with El Chiringuito, when José Mourinho suggested he was “more mature now, less emotional, more controlled,” the 63-year-old hinted that, ultimately, a leopard can’t change its spots.
“I’ve still got the same DNA,” he added. “Obviously, I can’t hide or try to be who I’m not.”
It hasn’t taken long at all for Mourinho to drop the faux Mr. Nice Guy act. He was in vintage form before the international break, producing a pair of printouts in his press conference to pinpoint the two red cards Atlético Madrid should’ve received before Real Madrid’s Dean Huijsen was dismissed at the start of the second half, tilting a drab derby firmly in Atléti’s favor.
And the extended international break hasn’t done an awful lot to mellow out the Madrid manager. In Saturday’s 1–0 victory over Villarreal, Mourinho joined in with his players’ celebrations after Vinícius Júnior thought he’d ended a six-week wait for a goal.
However, Mourinho’s jog down the touchline was merely a sequence that preceded unfortunate events.
Why José Mourinho Didn’t Speak to the Media After Villarreal Win
Yan Diomande may have scored his first Real Madrid goal, but Vinícius Jr’s red card for pulling Nathan Saliba’s hair in the build-up to his eventually disallowed finish was the major flashpoint of Los Blancos’ victory.
The Brazilian could have no complaints about the decision, with hair pulling falling under violent conduct in Law 12 of IFAB’s laws of the game. He’s now expected to miss El Clásico in two weeks, likely as part of a three-match suspension.
And a supposedly incensed Mourinho had no interest in joining Viní Jr on the suspension list for the trip to Barcelona. Mundo Deportivo and The Athletic reported that Mourinho told club officials after the match that he wouldn’t be speaking to the media due to the fear of potentially allowing his frustrations regarding the officiating to spill over.
“I want to be there against Sevilla and Barça,” Mourinho reportedly said.
The 63-year-old has quickly resorted to his favored “us-vs.-the world” ploy in a bid to galvanize a Madrid side that looks hopelessly second best to an imperious Barcelona in La Liga. Hansi Flick’s back-to-back champions won again at the weekend, before Madrid’s contentious triumph over Villarreal, and are six points clear of Mourinho’s men.
Atléti earned their fourth league victory in succession on Saturday, too, so they’re still a point better off than their cross-city rivals in second.
Defining Period Beckons for Mourinho’s Madrid
While the nature of it was unimpressive and marred by Vinícius Jr’s red card, Madrid nonetheless secured a necessary victory against an opponent that finished third in La Liga last season.
But there’s so far been little to suggest that Mourinho is the man to help Los Blancos dethrone La Blaugrana. Flick’s Barça are defined by their ferocious intensity out of possession, telepathy with the ball and magic of Lamine Yamal down the right flank. Madrid still look like a muddled outfit waiting for their supreme individuality to shine through.
And one of their stars, Vinícius Jr, is in the midst of a rough patch—the sort that has led conspiracy theorists to wonder whether the Brazilian was replaced with a body double after the World Cup. Kylian Mbappé also has a remarkable knack for frustrating supporters every time he takes to the field despite his stellar scoring record for the club.
We’re still waiting for solid evidence that the pair can harmoniously coexist as part of a winning machine.
A tricky period is on the horizon, too. The first Clásico of the season is on everyone’s minds in the capital, evidenced by Mourinho’s postmatch play on Saturday, but by honing in on the champions, Madrid risk falling asleep at the wheel when they continue their Champions League campaign against Roma and RB Leipzig. Sevilla and Racing Santander are unlikely to be pushed over either.
