A bit more evasive than usual but still sharp-tongued, the Real Madrid coach spoke about the Clásico without revealing his plans while making clear he still thinks big no matter what happens this Sunday: “Madrid with Mourinho wins trophies.”

How do you see the team ahead of a match of this magnitude?

“When things are going well we play well, we score goals... but the Clásico isn’t worth what you did before, it doesn’t have influence. It’s genuinely different.”

You return to Camp Nou. How do you approach it? You asked for credit for the team after Sevilla. Do you feel you’re not getting enough?

“There’s a sense that Real Madrid is like that... But I don’t seek more. Credit for my players when they do well and criticism of the coach when he doesn’t do so well. That’s the story for almost every coach in the world. It’s our life. Returning to the Clásico? There are at least two per season, it doesn’t matter who the coach is, what matters is the global dimension of the Clásico. There are other big matches in the world, but this is the unique Clásico; the world stops.”

Is it the litmus test to know if you can win titles this season?

“No, Madrid with Mourinho wins trophies.”

It was leaked that Munuera will referee, that he paid coaching services to Negreira’s son...

“That one catches me a bit by surprise... The referee’s name never bothers me. I start from the premise that the referee is good; what bothers me is that rules are broken and, according to internal reports, it’s still unknown. Three weeks ago one name came out, now another, but nobody internally has told me ‘that referee not this one’.”

Did you take any lessons from Barcelona’s 4-2 in Paris?

“I don’t think losing one match changes their mood or confidence. It wouldn’t have changed mine either if we had lost 1-4 to Leipzig.”

Do you think Barça is overrated and Madrid overly criticized?

“If people thought a week ago that we were going to be thrashed, they’ll keep thinking that. People speaking well of Barcelona doesn’t affect me, it has nothing to do with me. To be honest, there are moments when praise is deserved because they do very good things. In our case... we are seen as a finished product, and that is very hard in football, but we are not in an advanced stage of that process; we’ve had three months of work, a preseason in which players arrived a couple at a time each week, the break... We’re far from being a finished product; it’s initial, we’re in a phase where the coach is getting to know, analyzing, defining paths, they know the coach... Comparing a team in this state with another that has been together longer doesn’t seem fair to me.”

Fermín said referees’ rhetoric is tiring...

“What can I say? Other things tire us, and they keep happening...”

You’ve had a beard for a month and have won everything, superstition?

“Not superstitious at all. Do I look horrible with the beard? Should I change it? (laughs). I’m one of the few in football without superstitions.”

More adrenaline because it’s Camp Nou?

“It’s the same as going to any other stadium. We’re talking about a very high-quality team. But it’s nothing special.”

What do you think of Lamine? Will there be a plan for him?

“They’re all good; it’s the same as at Madrid. He’s a great player, and great players deserve respect. Respecting someone is one thing and changing plans, structures and forgetting your essence is another. We won’t do that, neither with him nor with any other player of his super quality.”

Flick... what do you think of him?

“I don’t understand questions about opponents. He’s a great coach, he’s doing an excellent job. What do you want me to say?”

What’s your plan for this Clásico?

“I’m not going to answer... better another question. About plans, who will play, the structure... I’m not going to answer.”

[The same journalist asks again] Is the weak point the defense and will you attack more?

“You’re clever, but I’m not stupid! (laughs).”

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