José Mourinho is collecting silverware again in Spain. The Real Madrid coach has picked up La Liga's Manager of the Month prize for October, a reward for a month in which Los Blancos did not drop a single point in the league and, most sweetly for their fans, got the better of Barcelona in El Clásico.
The Spanish league made the announcement on Monday through its official X account. "Real Madrid's coach is the Coach of the Month for October in #LALIGAEASPORTS," the post read, according to Punch.
A flawless month: Villarreal, Sevilla, then Barcelona
Madrid played three league matches in October and won every one of them. They edged Villarreal 1-0, thumped Sevilla 4-1 and then beat Barcelona 2-1 in the first meeting of the two giants this season, a perfect run that Punch described as a 100 per cent win record.
The Clásico was the headline act. According to Daily Post, the game was played at the Spotify Camp Nou on October 25 in the 10th round of the La Liga season. Kylian Mbappé was the hero for Madrid, finding the net in the 41st minute and again in the 87th. Raphinha had pulled Barcelona level in the 61st minute, but the French forward's late strike settled it.
Daily Post reported that the result was Hansi Flick's side's first league loss of the campaign, ending a run in which Barcelona had won each of their opening nine league matches. That context, the outlet suggested, made Mourinho's win all the more significant.
Simeone and Matarazzo pushed him close
The award was not handed over without a fight. According to Daily Post, Mourinho finished ahead of Atlético Madrid boss Diego Simeone and Real Sociedad coach Pellegrino Matarazzo, and it was his first time winning the monthly honour this season.
Simeone also won all three of his league games in October, the outlet noted. The Argentine's Atlético beat Alavés 2-1 and then ground out 1-0 victories over Espanyol and Deportivo La Coruña. Matarazzo matched that perfect record with Real Sociedad, who beat Deportivo La Coruña 3-2, hammered Málaga 5-2 and squeezed past Levante 2-1.
In the end, Daily Post said, Madrid's results, and above all the statement win over their fiercest rivals, tipped the decision in Mourinho's favour.
Where Madrid stand in the table
Reports differ on the state of the title race. Punch and Tori News say Madrid are currently second, three points adrift of leaders Barcelona. Daily Post, however, wrote that the Clásico victory stretched Madrid's lead over Barcelona to three points and strengthened their hold on first place. The two accounts cannot both be correct, and the exact standings could not be reconciled from the available reports.
