Mourinho seeks to avoid repeat of ‘worst’ Clasico defeat against Barcelona

Jose Mourinho returns to the Clasico with Real Madrid hoping to avoid a repeat of the 5-0 defeat by Barcelona that he described at the time as the worst of his managerial career.

Real Madrid face Barcelona at Camp Nou tomorrow, with Mourinho preparing for his first meeting with the Catalan club as the club’s manager since taking charge in the summer of 2010.

His opening Clasico could hardly have gone worse. On 29 November 2010, Barcelona secured a comprehensive victory in the 13th round of La Liga, exposing the scale of the challenge facing Mourinho as he attempted to compete with Pep Guardiola’s side.

Real Madrid had entered the match unbeaten in their first 12 league games. Mourinho had also not lost a competitive match since becoming the club’s manager, but that record came to an emphatic end in Barcelona.

The hosts took control early. Xavi Hernandez opened the scoring in the 10th minute before Pedro Rodriguez doubled Barcelona’s advantage eight minutes later. The home side went into half-time 2-0 ahead.

Mourinho responded at the start of the second half by making his first substitution, sending on Lassana Diarra for Mesut Ozil. The change did little to alter the balance of the match, however, as David Villa struck twice in quick succession.

Villa’s goals came in the 55th and 58th minutes, with Lionel Messi providing the decisive passes for both. Barcelona then completed the scoring when Jeffren Suarez added a fifth in the first minute of stoppage time.

The statistics underlined Barcelona’s dominance. Guardiola’s team enjoyed 66% possession, compared with Real Madrid’s 34%, and registered 15 shots to their opponents’ five. Barcelona also forced six efforts on target, while Real Madrid managed only two.

Real Madrid’s frustration boiled over late in the match when Sergio Ramos was sent off after an incident involving Carles Puyol.

Mourinho acknowledged Barcelona’s superiority after the final whistle and described the result as the worst defeat of his coaching career at that point. He said Real Madrid had played extremely badly, while their opponents had produced an exceptional performance.

The result remains a defining reminder of Mourinho’s difficult introduction to one of football’s biggest rivalries, as he prepares to lead Real Madrid into another meeting with Barcelona at Camp Nou.