Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho says his side must improve their ability to manage games when they face Atletico Madrid in Sunday's La Liga derby.
Madrid have made an energetic start under Mourinho, but the Portuguese coach admits their attacking style has been matched by a failure to close matches out. They are three points behind unbeaten leaders Barcelona after winning five of their opening six games, with Atletico Madrid third.
Real Madrid required late goals from reserve striker Carlos Espito to secure victories at Espanyol and Elche, allowing them to remain close to Barcelona.
“The problem seems obvious to me. It's harder to know why, but it's easy to understand that there are matches that seem over and, in the end, aren't,” Mourinho said.
“(There are) matches where we have three, four, five chances to finish them and don't.
“After failing to do so, it feels like we go from ease, because it seemed easy, to losing control.”
Mourinho expects Diego Simeone's Atletico Madrid to take advantage if his team switches off, and says the issue is not limited to the derby.
“Not just for Sunday's match, but for every match. I like my team to score goals... but I also like controlling matches,” he said.
“I don't like gifting control. It's not about the goals, it's about giving away control of the match.”
Bernardo Silva is expected to return to the starting line-up after being rested for Tuesday's win at Elche. However, Mourinho accepts his squad is not naturally built to dictate the tempo, despite a lavish summer spending spree.
“We're a frenetic side, who gets the ball back and accelerates,” he said.
The pace is driven by the attacking trio of Vinicius Junior, Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham. Their instinct to play quickly can leave Madrid vulnerable defensively, regardless of the match situation.
Vinicius Junior is likely to face a hostile reception from Atletico Madrid supporters. The reaction could be intensified after he, Mbappe and Ibrahima Konate partially covered a shirt carrying the message “we are all Ceutans”.
The message referred to Ceuta, the Spanish territory in north Africa affected by a migration crisis involving Morocco. La Liga president Javier Tebas criticised the three players on Wednesday for not wearing the shirt properly before the match at Elche.
Mbappe said he had rolled up the shirt to show support for immigrants who had died trying to cross the border, while also backing the people of Ceuta.
Vinicius has been jeered by Real Madrid supporters in recent weeks because of his goalscoring form and failed to score again at Elche, where he missed three good chances.
Mourinho is waiting for the Vinicius who “kills” games and helped Real Madrid win two Champions League titles to return.
“The goals will come back, I can't miss so many (chances),” Vinicius wrote on Instagram after the match.
He has scored once this season, compared with Mbappe's eight goals in all competitions. Mourinho described the France striker as “not normal”, and Mbappe has another chance to strengthen his Ballon d'Or campaign while keeping pressure on Barcelona.
Since Mbappe joined Real Madrid in 2024, the club have not won a major trophy. Barcelona, managed by Flick, have won La Liga for the past two seasons, meaning Madrid cannot afford many dropped points.
Mourinho and Simeone met four times during Mourinho's first spell at Real Madrid. Mourinho won three of those meetings, while Simeone's only victory came in the 2013 Copa del Rey final.
Should Madrid lead at the Metropolitano on Sunday, Mourinho will hope his players follow his warning and do not allow Atletico back into the game.