Real Madrid reaction after Clásico win over Barcelona

José Mourinho's first reaction to Barcelona vs Real Madrid was built around squad depth, not just the 1-2 scoreline. He said Real Madrid won because the team had fresh legs, balance and the right profiles in midfield, with Eduardo Camavinga a central part of that picture. He also joked that Barcelona fans ruined his hotel nap before shifting to the football.

Camavinga and the bench

Mourinho said Camavinga is a first-team player and stressed that managers suffer when they have no options to use from the bench. “The match needed fresh legs to keep up the pressing and to launch counter-attacks,” he said, adding that Camavinga was told to attack the spaces because that is hard against Barcelona's offside line.

The numbers fit the argument. Camavinga has made 8 La Liga appearances this season and has 1 league assist, while Real Madrid's league form is WWWLW and they have conceded only 10 goals. Mourinho said the win could leave them three, six or nine points clear, and he also said the team have won five matches in a row.

Cucurella's night against Yamal

Mourinho also singled out Marc Cucurella, saying the full-back was fresh because Carreras played the previous match. He called it the toughest match Cucurella has faced against [Lamine Yamal] and said he did a great job against a difficult opponent.

Cucurella has played 9 league matches this season, which fits Mourinho's point about managing his workload. The praise for him sat alongside the wider message from the night, that Real Madrid's depth gave them room to change the game without dropping level.

Barcelona's side of the reaction was much less comfortable. [Hansi Flick] said the team were not fresh enough and needed to recover quickly, while [Pedri] admitted Barcelona were below their usual level and were punished on the counter-attack. [Frenkie de Jong] and [João Cancelo] were also part of the broader post-match picture, but the clearest theme was fatigue and missed chances rather than control.

Mourinho's point after the Barcelona vs Real Madrid win was straightforward enough: the result came from preparation, rotation and players who could change the rhythm when the game demanded it. Real Madrid have 24 points, Barcelona have 27, and the next league swing comes with the table still tight at the top.