Di Maria reveals Mourinho’s plan to stop Messi and Barcelona

Angel Di Maria has recalled the intense rivalry between Real Madrid and Barcelona during Jose Mourinho’s first spell in charge at the Spanish club, claiming the Portuguese manager told his players that physicality was the only way to overcome Pep Guardiola’s side.

“Mourinho put it into every Real Madrid player’s head that the only way to beat Barcelona was to hit them,” Di Maria said in comments reported by Sport.

The Argentine winger described how difficult it was to face a Barcelona team that dominated possession and forced opponents to spend long periods chasing the ball.

He pointed to Real Madrid’s 0-5 defeat by Barcelona at Camp Nou as an example of the problems they faced during that period.

“I don’t think I have played in a match where I touched the ball so little as in that 5-0 defeat at Camp Nou,” Di Maria said.

“I was trying to press, but the ball was never where I was going. It was unbelievable.”

The rivalry became particularly heated during a period of no more than 20 days, when the two teams met in a series of decisive fixtures, including the Copa del Rey final and the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League.

Di Maria said the hostility between the players in club football contrasted sharply with their relationships within the Spain national team.

“At the national team, everyone was friends and they overcame any team they faced with ease,” he said. “But when they played against each other, they were throwing punches.”

Di Maria remembers Messi challenge

The former Real Madrid player also recalled an incident involving Lionel Messi during the 2011 Copa del Rey final, when he tackled the Barcelona forward while attempting to stop a counter-attack.

“I apologised to him, but if you don’t bring him down, you cannot stop them from scoring,” Di Maria said.

His comments have resurfaced as Real Madrid prepare to face Barcelona again on Sunday evening in matchday 10 of La Liga.

The fixture has added significance because Mourinho has returned to the Real Madrid dugout at the start of the current season, bringing back memories of the fiercely contested Clasico meetings from his first period in charge.

During that earlier spell, matches between the clubs were marked by confrontations and tactical battles as Real Madrid attempted to disrupt Barcelona’s possession-based football under Guardiola. Di Maria’s recollections offer an insight into the approach Mourinho used to prepare his players for those encounters, as well as the pressure surrounding the meetings between two sides whose players shared close friendships at international level.