Mourinho: Real Madrid will not change approach for Barcelona clash

Jose Mourinho says Real Madrid will not abandon their tactical identity to contain Lamine Yamal in Sunday’s El Clasico against Barcelona.

The match at the Santiago Bernabeu comes in the 10th round of La Liga, with Mourinho insisting that his side’s recent form will have little bearing on one of Spanish football’s biggest fixtures.

“We are going through a good period, playing well and scoring goals,” Mourinho said at his pre-match news conference. “But what we have done previously has no value in the El Clasico and will have no influence on it. It is a completely different match.”

Mourinho was also asked whether Barcelona’s four-goal defeat by Paris Saint-Germain could affect the Catalan side’s confidence before their meeting with Real Madrid.

“I do not think losing one match will change the team’s psychological state or its confidence,” he said. “In the same way, it would not have changed my state of mind if we had lost 4-1 to Leipzig.”

The Portuguese manager was then questioned about whether he would devise a specific plan to stop Yamal, one of Barcelona’s most highly regarded players.

“All of Barcelona’s players are good, and the same applies to Real Madrid,” Mourinho said. “He is a great player, and great players must be respected.

“But there is a difference between respecting an opponent and changing your plans and tactical structures or abandoning your identity. We will not do that against him, or against any other player with such exceptional quality.”

Mourinho was also asked for his assessment of Barcelona manager Hansi Flick, but declined to discuss his opponent in detail.

“I do not understand questions about opponents,” he said. “He is a great coach and is doing excellent work. What do you want me to say?”

The Real Madrid manager’s comments suggest his preparation for the El Clasico will focus on maintaining the team’s established approach rather than building the game around a single Barcelona player. Despite acknowledging Yamal’s quality, Mourinho said Real Madrid would not make an exception to their tactical principles for the teenager or any other individual opponent.