Catalan Press Warns Mourinho With History of Real Coaches Felled by El Clasico Defeats

El Clasico has never been just another match — for Real Madrid coaches, it has repeatedly become the fixture that decides their future. Ahead of the latest edition, Catalan newspaper Mundo Deportivo has reminded Jose Mourinho of that harsh reality, raking up the history of Real coaches who lost their jobs after defeats to Barcelona in an attempt to pile pressure on the Portuguese.

According to Mundo Deportivo's report, El Clasico has played an important role in determining the fate of several Real Madrid coaches in the past, and the paper has brought that history forward again to warn Mourinho. The stakes are heightened by the league table: if Barcelona win, the points gap between the two sides will stretch to nine.

That said, the report itself acknowledges there is no indication that Mourinho's job is under immediate threat. The Real board has publicly expressed its support for him. Even so, Mundo Deportivo says that if the situation deteriorates, the name of France coach Didier Deschamps has come up in some quarters as a possible successor.

The freshest example in that history is former Real coach Xabi Alonso. Last season, just days after losing the Spanish Super Cup final to Barcelona, the Madrid club parted company with him. Mundo Deportivo cites Alonso as the most recent instance of a Real coach losing his post after a defeat to Barca.

El Clasico also played a major role in Julen Lopetegui's departure in 2018. Before being thrashed 5-1 by Barcelona, Real had already dropped points against Atletico Madrid, Alaves and Levante. Under the pressure of one poor result after another, the club sacked him that October.

Lopetegui, who had succeeded Zinedine Zidane, had already passed through one crisis before that — he had lost the Spain job just before the start of the Russia World Cup. He joined Real after that turmoil but could not deliver the success expected of him, and the heavy Clasico defeat became the final push towards his exit.

In 2015, under Rafael Benitez, Real lost 4-0 to Barcelona at their own Santiago Bernabeu. That defeat multiplied the pressure on him, and after the team continued through a poor run, the club dismissed him in January 2016.

Bernd Schuster's case was even more unusual — he left the Real job before the match against Barcelona, having remarked that Real had no chance of winning at Camp Nou. His successor, Juande Ramos, could not avoid defeat to the Catalans either, and Real were later thrashed 6-2 by their arch-rivals at home.

Mundo Deportivo's report also mentions Carlo Ancelotti. The paper notes that the Copa del Rey final defeat to Barcelona was one of the events that influenced his future plans. Ancelotti later decided to become Brazil's coach.

Taken together, the Catalan paper's message is clear: a defeat in El Clasico has so often been the prelude to a storm in the Real Madrid dugout. For Mourinho, then, the challenge is not only about three points but also about avoiding a repeat of history. The board's support may be public, but the result on the pitch will have the final say — and all eyes are now on it.