Mourinho: Real were horrible in the first half

By FOX Sports Staff

Madrid endured their fifth defeat of the campaign with the result and could very well go 18 points behind league leaders Barcelona if the Catalans win at Valencia later on Sunday. 

They were especially poor against Granada and even saw star winger Cristiano Ronaldo register a rare own goal, which proved to be enough for the relegation-threatened side. 

Afterwards Mourinho blamed himself even as he lambasted his side for a diabolical opening 45 minutes. 

"The buck stops with me. You lot always say that same thing. When we win and we play well then it happens on its own but when we don't it is the coach's responsibility. 

"Today we lost and did not play well. Today it didn't happen on its own, today I'm the one responsible.

"We didn't even manage a draw. That is what bothers me about the result, but the team's first half performance bothers me a lot, it was horrible. 

"In the second half we dominated and we had a chance to equalise but it was not enough to satisfy me."

The Portuguese was not willing to concede that his side's exertions in their 1-1 Copa del Rey draw with Barcelona on Wednesday played a part in the lacklustre showing. His words did, however, hint at frustration at the favourable schedule that arch-rivals Barcelona seem to be enjoying at the moment.

"There is one thing that has been clear for a long time and that is that there are teams that do not have any control over their schedules and the planning of the matches," the Portuguese told the club website. 

"Wednesday [against Barca in the Copa del Rey] was an important match and tremendous physical effort for both teams but one plays today and the other tomorrow [Sunday]. 

"But this team had to respond in a different manner. 

"Some of the players who played today [Saturday] played on Wednesday and others didn't. 

"There are some of them who were tired because worked hard on Wednesday and there are others that I do not know why they were tired because they were on the bench or in the stands.

"I think the result is fair. Granada did their job, they scored their goal. They defended in the second half with all of their heart and soul.

"They have a new coach, new players and had a great night of football here with Real Madrid in front of them. They did everything that they could to get this result. 

"We should have scored a goal but because of the great effort that Granada made, I think that the three points have gone to the team that deserved them."