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Madrid have had more penalties in the past three months than Barcelona have had in the entire time Guardiola has been in charge.

That stat, those complaints, reveal something but perhaps not what those who lay such weight by them would wish (the same people, incidentally, who dismissed conspiracy theories when they were presented by the other side … and so it goes round and round). They reveal that Madrid's attacking has been relentless this season – there are few genuine question marks about those 10 penalties being perfectly correct decisions – and that Barcelona have more vulnerable than before. Yes, decisions matter; but the sensations are driven by more than just stats and suspicions. For Barcelona a bad decision is game-changing when once it may not have been. Madrid, in contrast, have blown teams away. They keep giving opponents the first goal – six times this season they have been behind, five times they have won the match – and still slaughtering them.

They are relentless, irresistible and boast gigantic variety about them. The sheer number of great players they have was likely to tell eventually – on Sunday, the 13 players who turned out for Madrid cost a combined €364m* – and although the tensions have been real, and the mistakes apparent, the work that Mourinho has done is impressive. He has also been given a second year – a concession not made for any of his predecessors.

*Barcelona's cost €115m, in case you're interested.