Real Madrid News
Florentino Perez delighted with Jose Mourinho’s impact at Real Madrid – report
Real Madrid have started the season in perfect fashion, securing three victories in their first three La Liga games.
Los Blancos beat Malaga 4-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu last night, with a brace from Jude Bellingham and goals from Arda Guler and Kylian Mbappe securing the victory.
Jose Mourinho has galvanised the team to a large extent, and everyone seems to be playing collectively to help Madrid return to where they belong.
Now, according to Defensa Central, president Florentino Perez is delighted with the early impact of the Portuguese tactician.
Perez’s satisfaction is said to go beyond just the results, with the attitude and collective behaviour of the players particularly interesting.
Florentino credits Jose for the change
The report claims Perez has privately highlighted Mourinho as the central figure behind the transformation.
The Madrid president believes Mourinho “has convinced everyone to play as a team”, a significant endorsement so early in the coach’s second spell at the Bernabeu.
That fits with the changes already being seen under Mourinho. Madrid’s biggest names are being asked to function within the collective rather than simply allowing individual quality to decide matches.
For a squad as star-studded as the one at the Bernabeu, egos were always going to be an issue, and it needed someone like Jose to get them all to rally around one another.
For Perez, seeing the squad buy into Jose Mourinho’s methods is the best possible start to his new presidential term.
Jose Mourinho wants everyone involved
Mourinho himself stressed after the Malaga victory that maintaining harmony across such a talented squad will be a season-long challenge.
“It is a difficult mission and it is not a mission for one month, but for a season,” Mourinho said.
He pointed to the competition throughout his squad, with Trent Alexander-Arnold starting while Denzel Dumfries was on the bench.
Similarly, the Portuguese manager gave Marc Cucurella a start ahead of Alvaro Carreras, while Brahim Diaz replaced Arda Guler.
Madrid have a squad where almost every single position has at least two players capable enough to compete for the starting berth.
Jose Mourinho needs to manage everyone’s minutes to keep the squad fresh and happy through the course of the season.
Trophies will be the ultimate judgement
While the early signs under Mourinho have been encouraging, he will know that he will ultimately be judged by the silverware he manages to win.
The Madrid squad has never lacked individual talent. The bigger challenge was creating a side in which those individuals came together to become a team.
Three league victories and a 4-0 win over newly promoted Malaga does not prove the transformation is complete.
However, what is perhaps even more important is that the change in mentality is already evident, and that is a good place to start.
It remains to be seen how Mourinho’s team fare against tougher opposition and whether this collective spirit can continue through the course of the campaign.
Real Madrid are set to kick off their Champions League campaign on Tuesday when they host Inter Milan at the Bernabeu.
Jose Mourinho’s side will be looking to bounce back after suffering their first defeat of the season, a 1-0 loss to Real Betis last time out.
And ahead of the crucial European opener, the Portuguese has received a timely boost, with Thiago Pitarch and Endrick both in contention to feature.
Pitarch and Endrick back in training
According to Arancha Rodriguez, Pitarch and Endrick returned to full group training on Sunday, alongside Aurelien Tchouameni, in the final session before the Inter clash. Both are now in contention to make the squad vs Inter.
All three had been sidelined by injury, with Pitarch having suffered a torn medial collateral ligament during pre-season and Endrick nursing a muscular problem.
Their return to team training is a welcome development for Mourinho, even if none of the trio are likely to start given they missed more than a month of preparation.
Of the group, Pitarch and Endrick are reported to have the best chance of making the matchday squad, with the pair now working to sharpen their fitness in the coming days.
Why Pitarch could prove crucial
Pitarch’s potential availability is particularly significant given Mourinho’s threadbare midfield options for the Inter game.
Real Madrid will be without Eduardo Camavinga, Arda Guler and Bernardo Silva, all of whom are suspended, leaving the Portuguese short in the middle of the park.
With Tchouameni also only just returning from a groin issue, the young Spaniard could offer valuable depth in an area where Mourinho has few alternatives.
For Endrick, meanwhile, the game represents a chance to make his competitive debut under Mourinho and begin clawing back ground on Carlos Espi in the race for a bench role in attack.
While Mourinho will not want to rush any of his returning players, having Pitarch and Endrick back in the fold offers him some much-needed flexibility as Real Madrid look to make a statement in Europe.
