If Florentino Pérez went to look for his friend José Mourinho for the second time, it is not for nothing. After two chaotic seasons marked by the absence of major victories and a freewheeling squad, the boss of Real Madrid wanted to bring order to the Merengue locker room. Accustomed to managing squads full of stars, the Portuguese coach is no longer the man who has a string of prestigious successes, but he knows how to manage egos. Suffice to say that the Special One is expected this season.
A complicated mission for Mourinho
After a presentation carried out on the sly, Mourinho finally presented himself to the media, on the eve of the match against Espanyol. The opportunity for journalists to finally be able to ask him all the questions about the new Real Madrid that he wants to put in place. The Lusitanian had plenty to do, as there were so many subjects. Unsurprisingly, he did not escape questions about one of the big problems that neither Xabi Alonso nor Alvaro Arbeloa were able to resolve: the cohabitation between the club’s stars and the defensive work of the attackers.
Without wanting to point the finger at Kylian Mbappé, it is clear that the machine went wrong when the Frenchman joined Casa Blanca in 2024, while the Real Madrid of Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Junior had just won two Champions Leagues in two years. Mbappé stole the status of number 1 striker and club headliner from the Brazilian, while the Englishman had to step back a notch to make room for the Bondynois, automatically becoming less decisive after a breathtaking 2023/2024 season (23 goals and 13 assists). Since then, Madrid has not been able to find the magic formula to bring all these little people together. And, the icing on the cake, the Spanish club also had to deal with attackers reluctant to work on defensive withdrawal.
“Do not negotiate what is not negotiable”
José Mourinho’s mission will therefore not be easy, but the Portuguese was clear this Friday morning. “We must form a team, work well and not negotiate what is not negotiable”he declared, before explaining that he believes in the cohabitation between Mbappé, Bellingham and Vinicius Jr. “They are incredible players. They want to play with incredible players. The best players feel frustrated when playing with players who are not of the same skill level. Tactical cohesion may prove more difficult. Ancelotti found Brazil ideal for Vini, Deschamps for Kylian, Tuchel for Jude. It’s more difficult for Mourinho to find a place for all three, that’s where we are. I don’t like it when they do things because they think I’m forcing them. They have to do it because they think they can do it well. They are high quality players. Their positions are not incompatible. We are going to have a great season with them. »
Finally, as for the defensive work of the offensive stars, Mourinho has got his messages across, but swears that everything is going well… for the moment. “It varies depending on the match and the opponent. We have to defend at 11. What does that mean? This can mean a lot of things. If the opposing team puts us under pressure and gives us problems in our defensive third, we all have to defend. If we play in the opposing camp, we have to play and crush the opponent. You have to work. One way to do it is to squeeze, another is to close the spaces. Some will really have to press, others will close the spaces. The principle that some defend and others wait for the ball does not work. There has always been a very good reaction from everyone. No problem. » Has Mourinho convinced his stars to work for the team? First response tomorrow from 9:30 p.m.
