Mourinho’s Real Madrid playing catch-up in Clasico countdown

Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho faces several challenges, including Vinicius Jr's form and concerns over Kylian Mbappe's fitness. (EPA Images pic) MADRID: Jose Mourinho's Real Madrid trail leaders Barcelona by six points as La Liga action resumes this weekend, with Spanish football starting the countdown to the Clasico after the extended international break.

It has not been plain sailing for the Portuguese veteran since he returned to the helm of Los Blancos, with defeats at Real Betis and then rivals Atletico Madrid leaving them fourth after seven games.

"Obviously we want to be first, not second, third, fourth, or fifth. And we want more points than we have. Obviously, obviously," said Mourinho before the international break, before blaming officials for his team's struggles.

Madrid visit Barcelona at Camp Nou on Oct 25 in Mourinho's first Clasico since returning to the Spanish capital this summer, following his first stint at the helm between 2010-2013.

Before then come four tough matches for Madrid, hosting Villarreal on Saturday and then Sevilla in La Liga, as well as facing Roma and RB Leipzig in the Champions League.

Barcelona also have a tricky lead-in to the Clasico, with league games against Getafe and Betis mixed with away games in the Champions League at Galatasaray and holders Paris Saint-Germain.

Hansi Flick's side have been unstoppable so far, winning every single match with devastating attacking force, netting 31 goals in their seven league games.

Whether Mourinho is capable of reining in Spain's dominant domestic side will become clear in the testing fortnight ahead.

While Madrid have shown some signs of improvement from last season's poor campaign under Xabi Alonso and then Alvaro Arbeloa, they still have a lot further to go to trouble Flick's Barca machine.

Mourinho has a host of issues to manage in the coming weeks, including the form of Brazilian winger Vinicius Jr.

The coach has defended the Brazilian while admitting he is not at his "killer" best, but starting with the Yellow Submarine's visit to the Santiago Bernabeu, Vinicius must prove he is worthy of a starting spot.

Mourinho hooked the Brazilian in the 2-1 defeat by Atletico and Vinicius subsequently failed to score for his national team in games against Australia and India.

Mbappe issues

There are also concerns around superstar striker Kylian Mbappe.

The French forward has again impressed in front of goal, scoring seven times in La Liga and maintaining the consistency he has shown since joining Madrid. However, he picked up a minor knee injury while on international duty.

Mbappe did not return immediately to Madrid and posted a video of himself riding a bicycle on social media, a few days after Mourinho had said cycling was something he did not want players to do for safety reasons.

Real Madrid fans are often quick to whistle their own players when unhappy, and Mbappe's recent efforts to promote his Ballon d'Or candidacy have drawn criticism from some supporters, particularly amid frustration at the club's failure to win a major trophy in the past two seasons.

Record signing Yan Diomande has yet to bed into the team fully, while the narrow Champions League win over Inter Milan showed Mourinho's side cannot control matches, despite the good result.

The team's run of one clean sheet in eight matches across all competitions also reflects defensive problems, while Mourinho has criticised his team for not capitalising on chances to finish games off and allowing opponents back in.

Mourinho's and Madrid's complaints about refereeing, most recently and explicitly after the derby defeat by Atletico on Sept 20, can only stave off pressure from the club's own fans for so long.

"If they leave us alone, calmly, and let us compete on equal terms, there's still a long way to go," said the veteran Portuguese coach in the aftermath of that loss.

After three weeks licking their wounds and looking at fixes for the problems that have quickly appeared, Mourinho's Madrid can now start walking that road.