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Madrid: Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho admitted his team does not know how to control matches ahead of Sunday's La Liga derby clash against Atletico Madrid.
Before the first major test of Mourinho's second spell at the helm, Los Blancos have shown attacking dynamism the coach called "frenetic", but the Portuguese veteran acknowledged his team cannot shut the door on opponents.
Madrid trail unbeaten champions Barcelona at the top of the table by three points, after losing one of their six opening games and winning the other five, with Atletico third.
However they needed late strikes by back-up striker Carlos Espi to secure wins at Espanyol and Elche to cling to Barcelona's tail.
"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," said Mourinho.
"(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."
Wily Atletico coach Diego Simeone will aim to punish Madrid if they take their eye off the ball in the derby.
Mourinho said his team's defensive issues were of concern for that game and beyond.
"Not just for Sunday's match, but for every match. I like my team to score goals... but I also like controlling matches," explained Mourinho.
"I don't like gifting control. It's not about the goals, it's about giving away control of the match."
Bernardo Silva is likely to start against Atletico after being rested against Elche on Tuesday, which could help Madrid take a firmer grip on the game, although Mourinho's squad does not seem ideally equipped to control matches despite a lavish summer spending spree.
"We're a frenetic side, who gets the ball back and accelerates," said Mourinho.
Madrid's team is defined by their star attacking trio of Vinicius Junior, Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham, which effectively ensures they will play at great pace, regardless of the scenario, which can leave them exposed at the back.
