Jose Mourinho immediatelybegan looking
to calm Real Madrid nerves Monday after a 5-0 thrashing by
Barcelona, labeling his worst ever defeat "a loss, not a
humiliation."
Barcelona dominated the match at the Camp Nou stadium for its
biggest win since the 1993-94 season and the Portuguese coach's most
lopsided loss in a career that includes two Champions League
triumphs.
"It's the worst defeat of my career. I've neverlost by five
goals to zero but it's easy to digest because it was a defeat
without chance of winning - so it's not hard to accept," Mourinho
said. "We are only two points behind the leader so we have to
continue working."
Barcelona is now two points clear at the top of the league table
with 34 points fom 13 games following a dominant display of its
brand of one-touch, possession football that left Madrid playing
catch-up from Xavi Hernandez's 10th-minute opener.
Mourinho, the self-proclaimed "Special One," is expected to end
two seasons without silverware for Madrid after guiding Inter Milan
to a histric treble of league, domestic cup and Champions League
titles last season. Mourinho's first test of how his team responds
is on Saturday against Valencia.
"I leave disappointed both in my team and my players,
individually," Mourinho said. "You have to have character, when
you lose by five goals you can't leave crying, you have to go and
work harder. The season (has) not ended today."
Mourinho criticized Madrid's carelessness as Pedro Rodriguez
capped a 22-pass buildup with a goal in the 18th to make it 2-0.
Even Mourinho knew the game was out of reach from the 55th when
David Villa scored the first of his two. Substitute Jeffren Suarez
added the last in injury-time.
"I have to worry about my team that until now had been playing
well and today played very poorly," said Mourinho, whose team
suffered its first loss of the season in all competitions. "One
team played to the maximum of its potential and the other very
badly. It's a well-deserved win and well-deserved loss."
The former FC Porto coach said Madrid was still finding its
identity while Barcelona was "a finished product" after having won
eight major trophies under counterpart Pep Guardiola.
Guardiola was not dismissing Madrid's chances of ending its
trophy drought yet despite another convincing win in the national
"clasico" following last year's 6-2 win at the Santiago Bernabeu
stadium.
"Against rivals so strong and so difficult it's also easy to
lose so you have to keep perspective," Guardiola said. "These
things happen every once in a while. But I still think Madrid is a
very good team.
"(But) we're going to enjoy this."
When asked if he thought Mourinho might be fired, Guardiola was
clear in his response.
"I don't think so."
