Mourinho points to refereeing decisions when explaining Real Madrid’s six-point gap to Barcelona: ‘You have to laugh’ | OneFootball

Real Madrid head into the international break fourth in La Liga, behind league leaders Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and Real Betis.

Los Blancos have a six-point gap to their Catalan rivals in these early stages of the season, with Hansi Flick’s team enjoying a perfect start to their campaign.

Last night’s 2-1 Madrid derby loss to Atletico Madrid left Mourinho furious with the officiating, and he went on an explosive rant in his press conference.

As quoted by Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano, Mourinho has pointed towards a series of refereeing decisions when discussing why Madrid find themselves six points behind Barça.

Mourinho points to controversial decisions

Asked about Barcelona’s six-point advantage, Mourinho suggested the current standings could look different under other circumstances.

“Maybe in different circumstances… We’ve seen things in this stadium this week, the cancelled goal against Osasuna, the cancelled penalty in San Sebastian, the Barcelona penalty,” Mourinho said.

“Then, you have to laugh.”

Mourinho was certainly not happy with the refereeing decisions. (Photo by Florencia Tan Jun/Getty Images)

Mourinho had already argued that Atletico should have been reduced to nine men during the first half following challenges on Jude Bellingham and Fede Valverde.

He even brought images of the incidents into his press conference to underline his complaints.

He then went one step further by pointing to refereeing decisions as the reason why his team find themselves six points behind Barça in the La Liga table after seven games.

Madrid cannot ignore the six-point gap

Mourinho’s frustration is understandable given how strongly he felt about the decisions at the Metropolitano.

The potential injury to Federico Valverde following one of those challenges is only bound to add fuel to the fire after what was already an emotionally charged game.

However, refereeing decisions cannot fully explain a league table. Whatever Mourinho thinks about individual decisions, the performances have left a lot to be desired.

Players like Vinicius Jr. have to step up for Real Madrid after the international break. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

That does not mean refereeing discussions are irrelevant. Major decisions can influence tight matches and, over an entire season, potentially valuable points.

Six points at this stage of the campaign are recoverable, especially with so much football still to play. However, Madrid’s attitude needs to change.

Barça have given themselves valuable early breathing room, and Madrid can no longer afford many afternoons like the one they experienced at the Metropolitano.

The onus is now on Mourinho to take control of the situation and ensure that his team can put in more consistent performances after the three-week international break.