It's payback time. Twelve months ago, Jose Mourinho watched from the Nou Camp touchline as Barcelona tore apart his Real Madrid side in a 5-0 humiliation. Fast forward to the weekend and the balance of power in Spain is reaching a new tipping point.
Top of the league: Real Madrid are six points clear of Barcelona in La Liga Photo: GETTY IMAGES
The countdown to La Liga's first El Clasico of the season, in less than two weeks' time on Dec 10, began on Saturday night with Real thrashing Atletico 4-1 in El Derbi at the Bernabeu, while out in Madrid's southern suburbs, Barcelona stumbled to a surprise 1-0 defeat at lowly Getafe.The force is with Mourinho's side. Now six points clear of their eternal rivals at the top of la Liga, Real are on a 13-game winning streak, averaging just under four goals per game. Add to that a perfect five-out-of five win record in Champions League qualifying and no wonder the Bernabeu crowd exhalt Mourinho's name.The Special One will be able to reflect on Tuesday, the exact anniversary of that humbling night in Barcelona, at the rapid progress in his second year in charge of the proud Castilian club. Barcelona may be domestic and European champions, having swept Real contemptuously aside last season, and still seen as the very acme of a modern football side but Real are the coming force.Much depends on the awesome firepower of Cristiano Ronaldo, who took his season's tally to 19 with two penalties in the thrashing of Atletico, and Karim Benzema but where once there was lack of organisation and discipline, Mourinho has implanted a system and an ironclad desire to make it work.Holding midfielder Xabi Alonso shone against Atletico, his ball-winning capabilities matched by the ability to sweep 40-yard passes out to his attacking full-backs, while Angel Di Maria and Mesut Ozil add creativity behind Benzema. In defence, Sergio Ramos continues to organise the back line in which Lassana Diarra is proving an effective right-back.Sergio Ramos attests to the respect and trust Mourinho enjoys from the millionaires' dressing room. "If there's someone who knows about football, that's our manager, who is capable of bringing out the best in us," he said.Saturday's derby clash was not a thing of great beauty but did illustrate that Real can get the job done against negative and at times cynical opponents. Atletico have not beaten their upmarket rivals since 1999 and the tone was set by coach Gregorio Manzano who declared in the build-up: "No joyous, open or attractive play. We have to play a closed, ugly, harsh game, not devoid of quality but not being the little sisters of pity, either."He was as good - or bad - as his word. Although Atletico struck first, through Adrian Lopez in the 14th minute, any dreams they had of upstaging Real ended in the 23rd minute when goalkeeper Thibaut Coubois was red-carded for felling Benzema and Ronaldo steered in the penalty.Atletico's strong-arm response brought five yellow cards and the wrath of Mourinho and the home crowd. Di Maria stroked Real ahead early in the second-half, substitute Gonzalo Higuain walked in a third on 64 minutes and Atletico finished the match with nine players after Diego Godin hauled down Ronaldo, who recovered to guide in his second spot-kick goal nine minutes from the end."The thing that pleased me most was our discipline," said Mourinho, who had unleashed his fury on the Atletico dug-out in a stormy first-half. "The reaction to our opponents. The players were kicked but they stayed calm. My men didn't want to play an ugly or rough game. Luckily they have carbon-fibre shinpads that work really well."Mourinho can dismiss Atletico with characteristic disdain. Indeed, there seems little most of La Liga can do to halt his high-fliers but the true test lies just around the corner. The former Porto, Chelsea and Inter Milan tactician has guided Real into action against Barcelona seven times but has only one victory to his credit, a Copa del Rey final triumph that was overshadowed by Barça emerging on top in adjacent La Liga and Champions League encounters.Recently published statistics in Spain show how Real have edged in front of Barcelona when it comes to goalscoring. Benzema, Ronaldo and friends require 5.19 shots to score, opposed to Barça's 5.45, while they average 18.17 efforts on target per match. The Catalans hit the target 17.25 times.Mourinho said: "My team always played well. It was ambitious and motivated. It was emotionally controlled but we must be patient and keep our vision. Our winning streak will eventually come to an end."While each El Clasico has a significance all of its own, the Dec 10 confrontation in the Bernabeu is shaping up as a defining moment in Mourinho's increasingly assertive reign at Real.
Mourinho's Real Madrid v Barcelona
The story so far
Nov 29 2010: La Liga, Barça 5, Real 0. The gulf between the two sides looks a mile wide.
April 16 2011: La Liga, Real 1, Barça 1. Barca celebrate a draw that virtually wraps up the title
April 20: Copa del Rey final (Valencia), Barça 0, Real 1. Ronaldo's extra-time winner earns Real's only silverware of the season.
April 27: Champions League semi-final 1st leg, Real 0, Barça 2. Real stunned as Barca again prove class apart.
May 3: Champions league semi-final 2nd leg, Barça 1, Real 1. Real recover some pride but cannot halt Barca.
Aug 14: Spanish Supercup, Real 2, Barça 2. Xabi Alonso secures deserved late equaliser for Real.
Aug 17: Spanish Supercup, Barça 3, Real 2. Lionel Messi's late winner overshadowed by touchline brawl - starring Jose Mourinho - at final whistle.
Source:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/competitions/la-liga/8918592/Real-Madrid-leapfrog-Barcelona-in-La-Liga-power-stakes-as-first-El-Clasico-of-the-season-approaches.html
The story so far
Nov 29 2010: La Liga, Barça 5, Real 0. The gulf between the two sides looks a mile wide.
April 16 2011: La Liga, Real 1, Barça 1. Barca celebrate a draw that virtually wraps up the title
April 20: Copa del Rey final (Valencia), Barça 0, Real 1. Ronaldo's extra-time winner earns Real's only silverware of the season.
April 27: Champions League semi-final 1st leg, Real 0, Barça 2. Real stunned as Barca again prove class apart.
May 3: Champions league semi-final 2nd leg, Barça 1, Real 1. Real recover some pride but cannot halt Barca.
Aug 14: Spanish Supercup, Real 2, Barça 2. Xabi Alonso secures deserved late equaliser for Real.
Aug 17: Spanish Supercup, Barça 3, Real 2. Lionel Messi's late winner overshadowed by touchline brawl - starring Jose Mourinho - at final whistle.
Source:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/competitions/la-liga/8918592/Real-Madrid-leapfrog-Barcelona-in-La-Liga-power-stakes-as-first-El-Clasico-of-the-season-approaches.html
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