José Mourinho stirred controversy ahead of the eagerly awaited Clásico against Barcelona, with the Real Madrid coach complaining about the limited time available to prepare for Sunday's La Liga showdown.
His comments came after Wednesday night's 4-1 win over Leipzig in the third round of the Champions League league phase, a result that handed the Royal Club full marks in the competition so far.
Real Madrid arrive at the Clásico in good shape. They have regained their balance with three straight wins over Roma, Sevilla and Leipzig in the space of seven days, scoring four goals in each.
Third place in La Liga tells a different story. On 21 points, Los Blancos sit six behind Barcelona, so victory on Sunday is the only way to cut the gap to three.
Speaking after the Leipzig match in comments reported by newspaper "AS", Mourinho said: "We are losing 24 hours of rest, but we will play the Clásico."
That line opens the door to a question: is the Portuguese flagging a genuine problem with the schedule, or laying the groundwork to justify any slip against the old rival?
His gripe centres on timing. Barcelona played at Paris Saint-Germain in the French capital on Tuesday in the third round of the European competition, while the Royal Club hosted their match at the Santiago Bernabéu on Wednesday, before the two sides meet on Sunday at the Camp Nou.
Asked about Real Madrid's confidence ahead of the Barcelona clash, Mourinho refused to treat the game as an ordinary test. The Clásico, he stressed, remains different from the rest of the league fixtures.
"In the Clásico there is no question of confidence," he said. "It is another match in the league, but it is not like the other matches."
On another matter, the Portuguese praised Bernardo Silva, who started for the first time in a long while and, in Mourinho's view, earned it. "Bernardo has not started a match for a long time, but he deserves to play too according to the principle of merit," he said. "He put in a wonderful match."
Happy though he was with the first half, Mourinho admitted the tempo fell below what he wanted. The only thing that bothered him was the goal Thibaut Courtois conceded, despite the goalkeeper's brilliance and two crucial saves.
"Courtois did not deserve to concede that goal," he said. "After the two saves he made, he did not deserve for his teammates to ruin his night."
Mourinho turned to his use of Arda Güler and Federico Valverde, explaining that 105 days with the team still isn't enough to know every player's capabilities fully.
"I still need to get to know them, and the best way to do that is through matches and competitions," he explained. "They played well, and the right flank worked excellently again. We have good solutions."
Three wins in the Champions League leave Real Madrid on nine points. That is still a long way from the 20-point barrier Mourinho has set for direct qualification, and he warned of a brutal run ahead, starting with the trip to Olympiacos in Athens before Valencia just two days later.
Even so, he insisted the focus falls first on the league, then on the clash with Barcelona.
The decision to replace Vinícius Júnior with Diomande in the 70th minute also came up. "Bringing on Diomande was not about thinking of the Clásico, but about what I have on the bench," Mourinho said. "I knew that we have a player with great speed, and when he comes on fresh in the final minutes, he becomes difficult to stop."
As for Vinícius, the coach leapt to his defence. The Brazilian carried out his tactical duties well, helped close down spaces and came within a stunning save of a wonderful goal.
"Only Vinícius can explain whether he feels sad," he added, "but his coach is happy with what he provided."
Vinícius, for his part, will miss the Clásico through suspension.