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Following Real Madrid's first loss of the campaign, José Mourinho criticized Real Betis players for exaggerating fouls to gain referee sympathy, while his own "naive" squad refused to do the same.
Los Blancos saw their flawless run under the Portuguese manager come to an end in Seville with a frustrating 1–0 defeat to Real Betis. A disputed offside decision, a squandered penalty by Kylian Mbappé and a string of wasteful finishing all played a part in the team surrendering points on Friday night.
Rather than addressing the genuine issues affecting his side, Mourinho turned his attention to criticizing his players for not engaging in gamesmanship the way Real Betis did. "The Betis players are smarter than those of Real Madrid, who are pure, naive," he stated at his post-match press conference.
"In the opening play of the game, there was an obvious yellow card for a player who fouled [Fede] Valverde, and then another yellow for a player who committed a serious foul on Vinícius Júnior. Madrid players get straight back up, while Betis players are cleverer and benefit from a tremendous home crowd that pushes, pressures and makes these things happen.
"Naive in the sense that, for minor incidents, Betis players try to influence the referee's decisions, while Real Madrid players, in situations clearly warranting a yellow card ... they stay on their feet.
"On the other side, there was that player who looked like he was on his deathbed right in front of my dugout—I thought the paramedics were on their way, but in the end, no ambulance arrived. That's exactly what I mean. And when you face teams with this kind of culture and mentality, it becomes a factor working against you."
Misplaced Blame Only Goes So Far
Mourinho's criticism of Real Betis players and the officials is understandable after such a heated contest, but suggesting a few yellow cards for the visitors would have altered the outcome is a stretch, given that his players were their own worst enemy on Friday.
Mbappé endured another difficult evening, a recurring theme Real Madrid supporters have grown all too accustomed to over the past three seasons. The Frenchman squandered chance after glaring chance, none more alarming than when he scuffed a shot in front of an open net after Vinícius Jr had rounded the goalkeeper.
Then, with the opportunity to rescue at least a point that could prove crucial in the title race with Barcelona, Mbappé had his penalty saved. It echoed his debut season, when he failed to convert from the spot against Liverpool and Athletic Club.
Mbappé attempted seven shots on the night, the highest of any player in the match, and failed to find the net once against a defense that had conceded five goals to Levante in their previous outing.
Vinícius Jr was not at his sharpest in front of goal either, but he delivered when it mattered most. The Brazilian fashioned a brilliant chance for Mbappé on the counter, set up Carlos Espí's goal that was ultimately disallowed and then won the penalty that Mbappé subsequently wasted.
It was the same familiar story for Real Madrid. When the team needs Mbappé most, he fades under the spotlight. The referee could have booked every Real Betis player on the field and it still wouldn't have changed one undeniable truth: Los Blancos are not going to win tight matches when their entire attack is routed through one individual who too frequently fails to deliver.
Mourinho's Decsions Did Real Madrid No Favors
Mbappé shouldn't bear the full weight of Friday's defeat when Mourinho himself made several questionable tactical choices. The manager once again named Denzel Dumfries in the starting lineup, leaving Trent Alexander-Arnold and his exceptional right foot on the bench.
The Dutchman is a dependable presence, but he simply offers little in the way of attacking threat down the right flank. Real Madrid then revert to their old tendencies of overloading the left side, leaving the team with no width whatsoever.
Mourinho eventually saw reason and hauled Dumfries off just after the hour mark in favor of Alexander-Arnold, but the England international should have been on the pitch from the opening whistle—as should have Yan Diomande.
Real Madrid broke their club record to acquire the 19-year-old from RB Leipzig, yet he has not started a single match this season. Rather than giving Diomande and Alexander-Arnold adequate time to build an understanding down the right flank and add variety to his one-dimensional attack, Mourinho throws them into difficult situations for only a few minutes at a time.
On the subject of substitutions, Mourinho once again chose to withdraw Arda Güler as his first change, despite the Turkish youngster having created an impressive seven chances in just 64 minutes on the pitch—more than the chances created by Jude Bellingham, Vinícius Jr and Mbappé combined over 90 minutes.
It almost seems as though Mourinho believes that star-studded trio will be sufficient to win matches without any additional creative input, despite the fact they have yet to win a single major trophy together.
The 63-year-old is rapidly falling into the same patterns as his predecessors Xabi Alonso and Álvaro Arbeloa. The silver lining is that Mourinho still has ample time to course-correct, but he must recognize that blaming referees and labeling his own players naive will not miraculously transform a group of individuals into a cohesive, trophy-winning unit.