A Spanish warning: is Mourinho plotting to injure Yamal in the Clasico?

Fear of the instructions Mourinho might issue in an attempt to stop Yamal

Clasico week has barely started and the temperature is already rising ahead of Real Madrid's trip to the Spotify Camp Nou.

Well-known broadcaster Jota Jordi fears Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho may turn to an aggressive, combative approach to snuff out Barcelona star Lamine Yamal.

Defensa Central carried Jordi's comments, made on the programme El Chiringuito Live.

As Jordi sees it, Real Madrid simply cannot match the Catalans in footballing terms right now, so they will have to find another way of stopping them.

Jordi said: "Regardless of which team you support, Real Madrid cannot, at the present time, compete with Barcelona in footballing terms. But Mourinho is good at another kind of football, and he succeeded in stopping Messi and his team-mates through kicks and violent challenges. I am terrified of the instructions Mourinho might give in an attempt to stop Yamal."

Those fears come straight from the Clasicos of Mourinho's first spell at Los Blancos.

Intensity and ferocity defined those games. They brought repeated stoppages and flashpoints that, time and again, spilled beyond the usual limits of sporting competition.

Jota Jordi suspects the Portuguese may want to recreate those conditions and drag Yamal down to the same level.

The Barcelona forward needs the ball in space, defenders to beat and a route towards the box. Real Madrid, then, must organise their cover so he never gets a steady diet of one-on-ones.

None of this means Mourinho will send his players out to commit a violent act. Jordi is simply voicing his fear that Lamine Yamal will be marked to within an inch of his life.

Real Madrid's coaching staff have plenty of tactical tools for the job: defensive cover, pressing and constant monitoring.

Their full-backs will be central to limiting his threat, but they cannot be left on their own. The nearest midfielder must shuffle across to the flank to help, and the winger has to drop in and do his share of defensive work. Deny Lamine the ball in an advantageous position and the duel is already half won.

Jota Jordi's comments add a fresh layer to the build-up, the broadcaster fearing Real Madrid will answer the superiority he attributes to Barcelona by making the game a physical one.

Only the pitch will settle it. Either Mourinho leans on muscle, or he finds a sharper tactical answer to Yamal.