How much credit does Mourinho deserve for crushing Barca?

A majority of Spain’s national newspapers carried a front page blurb featuring Real Madrid’s 3-1 over Barcelona. And yet none of them published a headline eulogising Jose Mourinho for masterminding Real’s win. Only the Madrid based sports daily Marca briefly mentioned in its match report about how Mourinho schooled Barcelona in tactics.

Mourinho’s rift with the Spanish media is widely known and things reached a tipping point when Marca ran a story that Sergio Ramos and Iker Casillas wanted him out. This maybe one of the reason why the media chose to play down his latest triumph against the Blaugrana.

And it also raises the question: how much credit does Mourinho deserve for crushing Barca?

When Pep Guardiola was the manager at Camp Nou, Barcelona dealt such severe blows to Mourinho’s side that he was too weak to even raise a white flag.

Mourinho won just twice against Guardiola, drew four, and lost five in 11 matches.

However, he has been gaining ground over Barca since Guardiola left the club after chewing into Real’s all-time head-to-head record over Barca.

Barcelona have been written off by the media and pundits alike after losing to AC Milan in the 1st leg of the Champions League and now Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey. They say that Barca lacks the element of surprise and teams are better prepared to stop them.

Does Mourinho have an element of surprise up his sleeves? Perhaps not.

He uses the same 4-3-2-1 formation for a majority of Real’s matches against Barcelona. He fields a team that chokes the supply to Lionel Messi. Everyone knows that Real will attack against the run of play, even before the referee blows the whistle signalling the start to a Clasico. And when Barcelona has the possession, Real Madrid players quickly close down on the player with the ball like flies attracted to a light bulb.

But we must give credit where it’s due. In the 16 matches that Mourinho played against Barcelona since becoming manager of Real Madrid, he did not give up and kept knocking on their door.

We don’t know the amount of preparation that goes behind planning for an El Clasico. A 100% fit side and a solid game-plan is a must for teams going for the win against Barca.

Every player must last Barca’s 90 minutes of “El Rondo”. Milan showed it is possible by their consummate display against Barca in the Champions League.

Players must stick to their markers like geckos lest they slip away and create problems. And they did; Madrid set up road blocks that deflated every Barca attack.

Also, the players must know where their teammates are without taking their eye away from the ball. Xabi Alonso showed how it is done when he released Angel Di Maria down the left for Cristiano Ronaldo‘s second goal.

Mourinho cannot play the same tactics against Manchester United in a week’s time. Because the English club stretches the play by using their wingers to the maximum effect and the play is not entirely centered in the midfield like Barcelona.

Maybe, the Spanish media will play a different tune if he conquers Manchester.