Jose Mourinho launches bitter blast at Barcelona

JOSE MOURINHO has stepped up his bitter war of words with Barcelona by labelling the European champions "a small team". Mourinho was left fuming last night as Barca defeated Real Madrid 3-2 at the Nou Camp to claim the Spanish Super Cup 5-4 on aggregate. The Special One thrust a finger in the eye of Barca assistant Tito Vilanova towards the end of the game and wasted little time in criticising Pep Guardiola's team during the post-match Press conference. He highlighted the fact the Nou Camp ball boys disappeared at half-time and insisted Real were the better side on the night. Mourinho said: "Real Madrid gave a spectacular performance from the first to the last minute. We came here to play. There were no ball boys in the second half, which is something typical of small teams when experiencing difficulties. "That is not a criticism, I'm just stating a fact. "I'm not going to say we're happy because we didn't win the Spanish Super Cup, that would be hypocritical of me. "But we intended to play like men and not fall on the ground at the slightest touch." Ugly scenes on the pitch and touchline overshadowed a pulsating game which saw Barca twice take the lead through Andres Iniesta and Lionel Messi. Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema replied for Madrid before, with extra-time looming, the hosts won it when Messi volleyed home Adriano's right-wing cross. Madrid's frustration then spilled over with Marcelo sent off for a reckless tackle on debutant Cesc Fabregas. The dismissal sparked a bust-up in front of the dugouts which led to Mourinho's clash with Vilanova and red cards for substituted players David Villa and Mesut Ozil. Barca boss Guardiola did not wade into the issue but had a word of caution for those involved in the tense atmosphere on the pitch.  He said: "The images speak for themselves. "We must be careful because one day we will cause harm, not on the field but off, and we're all a little responsible for this." Despite the controversy, Mourinho believes his team are more than capable of reclaiming the La Liga title from their arch-rivals this season. The former Chelsea and Inter Milan boss said: "This team is better than it was last year. "The longer you work with people, the better the conditions are to have a better year. "We played nine games this pre-season and proved to be better than we were last year in the last two. "I'm happy with the progress my men have made."