Madrid play for La Liga, not Camp Nou wins — Mourinho

Mourinho ahead of the El-Clasico fixture | Credit: Real Madrid

José Mourinho insisted Real Madrid’s focus remains on the bigger picture after their 2-1 victory over Barcelona at the Camp Nou.

As reported by BBC Sport on Sunday, speaking after Kylian Mbappé’s late winner secured a dramatic Clásico triumph, the Real Madrid gaffer said, “In my view, Real Madrid do not play to win at the Camp Nou… Real Madrid play to win La Liga. This must be the mentality. We need to continue like this and don’t go over the moon after this win.

“We could win with luck, but we won with calmness and with all merit. It’s a very strong group. Everyone works very hard. Everyone was ready to win.

“The credit goes to the players. When you win, the credit goes to the players. But when you lose, the blame falls on you. And that’s why we see coaches being sacked from their positions every week.”

The Portuguese, who returned to Real 13 years after his first stint in charge this summer, has now won six and lost six El Clasicos.

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He said, “I’ve learned that I have an extraordinary group, with the quality and mindset to play.

“In midfield, having a mix of talents gives us more than just having two players with similar characteristics. This mix of talents gives us balance when defending and quality when we go on the attack.

“We’ve beaten several teams by four or more goals, but this is Barca, and the players put on a great performance. We need to continue like this and don’t go over the moon after this win.”

Mourinho however warned that a slip-up in the next match would diminish the value of Sunday’s result.

The win closed the gap at the top of La Liga to three points.

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