Jose Mourinho's Real Madrid find themselves six points adrift of Barcelona as La Liga returns from the international break, with the countdown beginning toward the highly anticipated Clasico clash.

The Portuguese manager's second spell at the Bernabeu has encountered early turbulence, with defeats away to Real Betis and city rivals Atletico Madrid leaving Los Blancos in fourth position after seven matches. Speaking before the international window, Mourinho expressed his frustration candidly: "Obviously we want to be first, not second, third, fourth, or fifth. And we want more points than we have."

The veteran coach will face Barcelona at Camp Nou on October 25 in his first Clasico since returning to the Spanish capital this summer, having previously managed Madrid from 2010 to 2013. However, Madrid must navigate a challenging schedule before that showdown, beginning with Saturday's home fixture against Villarreal, followed by Sevilla in the league, plus Champions League encounters with Roma and RB Leipzig.

Barcelona face an equally demanding run-up to the Clasico, with league matches against Getafe and Betis sandwiched between Champions League away trips to Galatasaray and defending champions Paris Saint-Germain. Hansi Flick's Catalans have been in devastating form, winning all seven league games while scoring 31 goals.

While Madrid have shown marginal improvement from last season's disappointing campaign under Xabi Alonso and Alvaro Arbeloa, significant work remains before they can genuinely challenge Flick's formidable Barcelona side.

Mourinho faces multiple concerns heading into this crucial period. Brazilian winger Vinicius Jr's form has become a talking point, with the manager defending his player while acknowledging he hasn't reached his "killer" best. The forward was substituted during the 2-1 loss to Atletico and subsequently failed to find the net in Brazil's matches against Australia and India.

Kylian Mbappe presents another headache. The French striker has been productive, netting seven La Liga goals and maintaining impressive consistency since his arrival. However, a minor knee injury sustained on international duty has raised fitness questions. Adding to the intrigue, Mbappe posted social media footage of himself cycling days after Mourinho had voiced safety concerns about players engaging in that activity.

The Santiago Bernabeu faithful are notoriously demanding, and Mbappe's recent promotion of his Ballon d'Or credentials has drawn criticism from some supporters, particularly given the club's trophy drought over the past two campaigns.

Record signing Yan Diomande has yet to fully integrate into the squad, while the narrow Champions League victory over Inter Milan highlighted Madrid's struggles to control matches despite positive results. A solitary clean sheet in eight games across all competitions underlines defensive vulnerabilities, with Mourinho criticizing his team's inability to close out games and tendency to invite opponents back into contests.

Madrid's complaints about officiating, most vocally after the September 20 derby defeat to Atletico, can only deflect fan pressure temporarily. "If they leave us alone, calmly, and let us compete on equal terms, there's still a long way to go," Mourinho stated following that loss.

After three weeks to regroup and address the problems that have quickly surfaced, Mourinho's Madrid can now begin that journey.