Mourinho in a difficult position: Flick's formidable machine ignites the crisis at Real

Seven games, seven wins. Barcelona's record speaks for itself, and most of those victories have been comprehensive, built on a style of play that marries excellence with efficiency.

Gone are the doubts over the defensive fragility that dogged Flick's side in his first two seasons at Barça. The intensity of the pressing, the brilliance of the collective and the sharpness of the forwards have seen to that, none more so than Raphinha in the "spearhead" role the German coach devised for him, turning him into an out-and-out top-class striker.

Barcelona have scored 31 goals and conceded just seven. Raphinha has struck 12 of them, shining at a level that rivals the great Brazilian stars in the club's history, from Evaristo and Ronaldinho to Romário and Rivaldo.

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From day one, Flick defined the core pillars of his project: a fiercely attacking style built on intense pressing, a high defensive line and maximum physical effort.

His football thrives on trading attacks and raw competitiveness, where the better team takes the upper hand. That demands players of great talent, immense physical capacity and total commitment to the collective goal.

Raphinha embodies those concepts perfectly. Little wonder, then, that he took on the captaincy and became a role model for rising stars like Lamine Yamal, the two of them forming a deadly duo.

Rodri's arrival brought the maturity the side needed. Alongside Pedri, he helped fine-tune the style and balance the vertical thrust with the untamed energy of players like Fermín, Gordon and Ademi.

Deals struck by sporting director Deco last summer added quality and sharpened the competition for a starting spot. Just ask Koundé and Baldé.

The latest graduate from the youth academy, Xavi Espart, widened the pool of multi-position players in the mould of Eric García and Gerard Martín, footballers who fully grasp the philosophy and playing style of La Masia.

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Sunday evening's derby handed Simeone a lifeline. Atletico Madrid beat Real Madrid 2-1, and the win vindicated a coach who had been pleading for time, insisting his side was still a work in progress despite two decades in charge.

Jose Mourinho, by contrast, finds himself in an awkward spot. He arrived to end Barcelona's two-year stranglehold, and that pressure may well explain his outburst in the post-match press conference.

Mourinho tore into referee Ortiz Arias afterwards. The derby had thrown up several flashpoints, chief among them the sending off of Real Madrid defender Dean Huijsen and a penalty awarded to Atletico. Real's players also demanded that the Atletico pair Lee Kang-in and Cristian Romero be dismissed for two dangerous challenges.

"The match was supposed to become 11 players against 9 players for 50 minutes, but instead it became 11 against 10 against us," Mourinho said.

He added: "Mr Trujillo, the video assistant referee, who did not call the referee to review the red card situation for Kang-in Lee, has a very strange story with Real Madrid. As for the poor referee Ortiz, it is clear that he cannot handle the pressure in matches of this kind."

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Just how much damage the Portuguese coach did to his own image with that call is anyone's guess. He hauled off Vinicius Junior and brought on Antonio Rudiger in the 59th minute, with his side trailing by a single goal in the derby.

Los Rojiblancos doubled their lead soon after to make it 2-0. For many fans, it revived memories of the moment he substituted the Brazilian during last season's Clasico against Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabeu. That one sparked a fierce internal row, even though Real Madrid had won the game and stretched their lead at Barcelona's expense.

Alonso was sacked a few months later. Chaos gripped the Real Madrid dressing room, and president Florentino Perez decided the return of the "Special One" was necessary to restore discipline and order.

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La Liga still has 31 rounds left to run, so Mourinho has plenty of time to build a side that matches his ambitions and keep his title challenge alive until the very last breath, especially with Atletico Madrid roaring back under "Cholo".

The numbers tell a harsher story. Barcelona currently lead the Rojiblancos by 5 points and the Blancos by 6, and that gap is set to cause plenty of concern and debate in Madrid over the next three weeks.

Before the "Clasico" against Barcelona at the "Spotify Camp Nou" on 25 October, Mourinho faces a run of fixtures to prove he can compete and take the fight for the title to his rivals.

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