In 2010, after the Real Madrid match against Sevilla, Jose Mourinho appeared in the press conference room with a list of 13 decisions that he believed referee Clos Gomez handled incorrectly. Nearly 16 years later, that image reappeared in a different way.
After the 1-2 defeat to Atletico Madrid at Metropolitano, Mourinho brought an A4 sheet of paper printed with two controversial situations: Lee Kang-In's tackle on Federico Valverde and Cristian Romero's dispute with Jude Bellingham.
We could completely skip the press conference because the story of the match is right here" - Mourinho said, pointing to the paper. According to the Portuguese coach, both Lee Kang-In and Cristian Romero deserved a red card.
Mourinho praised his players after the first half, but most of his attention was still focused on the refereeing team. This reaction is very familiar. When saying that the team is unfair, Mourinho often turns controversial decisions into the focus after the match.
This time, the problem lies in the fact that Real Madrid still has more to solve than the two situations above.
Lee Kang-In's tackle on Valverde caused much controversy. The Atletico player used his studs and caused the Real Madrid midfielder ankle pain. However, a controversial decision could not explain the entire defeat of the away team.
Atletico was the team that started more proactively. Diego Simeone's team put high pressure, making it difficult for Real Madrid to deploy the ball and could not maintain control of the match for a long time.
That is the part Mourinho needs to pay attention to. Los Blancos have enough time after being led to find an equalizer, but the pressure on Atletico's goal is not strong enough. Kylian Mbappe is still a familiar destination for attacks, while other attacking options have not brought the necessary stability.
Mourinho has repeatedly affirmed that he has changed over time. When returning to Roma in 2021, the Portuguese captain said he was more mature and calmer. However, in Madrid, the old image has quickly returned.
He criticized the referee, and Real Madrid after the match also posted a report titled emphasizing the management work. These statements received agreement from a part of the fans, who believed that Real Madrid often suffered disadvantages from referee decisions.
These assessments may still be controversial, but the defeat at Metropolitano still reveals clear weaknesses.
The midfield is one of them. Aurelien Tchouameni and Federico Valverde have strength and ability to compete, but Real Madrid lacks a player who regulates the tempo and deploys the ball stably. When Atletico puts pressure, the away team often cannot find a way to escape pressure.
The defense has also not brought peace of mind. Dean Huijsen's red card caused Real Madrid more difficulties, and at the same time exposed risks when this young center-back handled it unconsciously. The combination of Huijsen with Ibrahima Konate has also not helped the defense become more solid.
Real Madrid has invested heavily in the summer and Mourinho returned to Bernabeu with great expectations. Therefore, the defeat to Atletico can hardly be explained by just the story of the referee.
An A4 sheet of paper can record two controversial situations. But it cannot answer why Real Madrid lost control of the match, why the midfield encountered difficulties under Atletico's pressure and why they lacked a plan when the game deviated from expectations.
