For once José Mourinho appeared lost for words. On Wednesday night Real Madrid face Barcelona in the Copa del Rey quarter-final second leg at Camp Nou trailing 2-1 from the first match and the pressure builds on the Portuguese coach. Asked if he was happy at the Santiago Bernabéu, during his edgy, tense pre-match press conference, Mourinho merely shrugged and muttered: "Uh-huh".

The coach, who maintained a steely stare and rarely broke from monosyllabic answers, also hinted that cliques had indeed developed in the Real Madrid squad – but that it was not down to him. He added that, despite suggestions that Pepe would be left out of the Camp Nou clash as a punishment for his stamp on Leo Messi's hand, he intended to play the defender "if he is fit".

Madrid are 2-1 down from the first leg and that result against Barcelona saw a shift in Madrid. Defeat, an extremely defensive display and the behaviour of Pepe saw the pro-Madrid media turn. On Sunday morning, the newspaper Marca revealed a training ground confrontation between Mourinho and the defender Sergio Ramos; that night a section of the Santiago Bernabéu whistled fans who chanted Mourinho's name; and during a late night debate show on Spanish TV, one journalist claimed that Mourinho had decided to leave the club in the summer.

That was the subject of the first question as Mourinho prepared for the visit to Barcelona. "My colleague said that you are going to leave Madrid in the summer," the coach was asked. "Are you?" The response was short and sharp: "Ask your colleague." It was to prove the model for much of what followed. "Will you stay until you win the European Cup," he was asked. "I don't know." And so it went on.

"Why have you lost the support of the fans?" "I don't know, you'd have to ask them."

"The leaks from the club." "I don't know anything."

"But do you think they are designed to damage you?" "I don't know."

"Are you happy at Madrid?" "Uh-huh".

"Do Madrid have a mental block against Barcelona?" "Ask the players."

"Have you found Madrid to be different to Portugal, Italy and England?" "All countries are different."

"Could tomorrow [against Barcelona] represent a before and after moment?" "No respondo. I'm not answering that."

"Is this the hardest moment you have had since being at Real Madrid?" "Buen momento." A pause: "Good moment. Good moment."

Mourinho was also asked: "You have always stood out for being a good man-manager, someone who handles groups well. But are there cliques in the Madrid dressing room?" The response was so sharp that many missed it. "I don't provoke cliques." When the penny dropped, it appeared his most revealing, pointed response.

Even when it came to the purely footballing, the coach was not much more forthcoming. Asked what his approach would be against Barcelona, he replied: "I have no idea: I have lots of doubts over players and will have until the end."

"What kind of doubts?" "No respondo. I have doubts but even if I had certainties I wouldn't respond."

"So, how do you expect to play?" "No respondo. I am the coach and it is my responsibility. I have no reason to say."

Mourinho did, though, add: "If Pepe is 100%, he will play. I think we have a chance of getting through to the semi-final but we are aware of the team that we have in front of us. It will be difficult but we will try everything."

Only once did Mourinho expand and seek to make his point – and when he did, he did so forcefully. Asked what he could do to improve his relationship with the media, Mourinho replied: "Maybe have a point more advantage over Barcelona?"

"[In the league], we are five points ahead of the team many say are the best in the world. We had a tradition of going out in the Copa against teams from lower divisions [Manuel Pellegrini's Real were defeated 4-0 by Second Division B side Alcorcón]. We won it and if we go out this time it will be against the champions of Spain and Europe. We were not even seeds in the Champions League. Now we have won six out of six and have such good results that we will be [seeds] for a few years to come. Maybe it's not so bad as they say."