Real Madrid head coach José Mourinho has on Saturday provided his response to the recent criticism aimed in the direction of he and Los Blancos by Barcelona star Fermín López.

Real Madrid and Barcelona are of course primed to renew rivalries on Sunday evening, in the season’s first edition of El Clásico.

In the buildup to the fixture, much of the media chatter has centred on developments away from the pitch, as those in a position of power at the Santiago Bernabéu continue to seek punishment for their Camp Nou counterparts for their part in the ‘Negreira Case’.

Drawn on as much in the days leading up to the fixture, Barcelona midfielder Fermín López admitted:

“Real Madrid’s constant references to the Negreira case are getting a bit tiring because we’re showing our quality on the pitch. It’s unfair to engage in this kind of rhetoric when things are going well for us. If they keep pushing this narrative, it’s because it suits them, but we don’t get involved in it.”

Speaking during his pre-match press conference on Saturday, it therefore came as little surprise when the subject of Fermín’s comments was put to the aforementioned José Mourinho.

And Real Madrid’s headmaster sniped back, in assuring:

“There are other things that exhaust us, but they keep happening…”