Real Madrid News
Klopp or Mourinho – Real Madrid locker room’s preferred choice revealed by journalist
Real Madrid find themselves at a historic crossroads after going a second consecutive year without major titles, which has forced the club’s hierarchy to reconsider who should lead the new project.
With Alvaro Arbeloa set to be relieved of his duties at the end of the season, search is already underway for the next Real Madrid manager.
And, as things stand, there appear to be two frontrunners for the job – former Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp and current SL Benfica manager Jose Mourinho.
Real Madrid locker room would prefer Klopp over Mourinho
And, according to journalist Gonzalo Alvarez on Cadena SER, the Real Madrid locker room would prefer to see Klopp take over the reins of the team over Mourinho, who is seen as a bit of a ‘ticking time bomb’.
“Klopp is much more popular than Mourinho. Mourinho is a ticking time bomb, and in a dressing room with certain ways of operating and certain egos, a guy like him can arrive and cause immediate conflict; they know it,” the journalist explained.
It must be remembered that during Mourinho’s previous reign at the club, he had a major falling out with then-captain Iker Casillas and froze him out of the team.
On top of that, his criticism of Vinicius Jr.’s behaviour after Real Madrid’s win over Benfica earlier this season, and his support of Gianluca Prestianni in the alleged racism incident could also render him unpopular at Valdebebas.
Given the current state of the dressing room, where there appears to be a lack of leadership and signs of disconnection are being seen, it will be interesting to see how Florentino Perez, who has taken it upon himself to make the next appointment, handles the situation.
The possibility of Didier Deschamps taking over also hovers over the Bernabeu due to his rapport with the French contingent in the squad, although the journalist suggests that Perez’s decision goes beyond personal affinities.
Jose Mourinho is looking for solutions to Real Madrid’s problems, and the extended international break has given him time to analyse the team in depth.
Now, according to Defensa Central, one of the conclusions from his assessment concerns Jude Bellingham, Federico Valverde, Bernardo Silva and Arda Guler, the players Mourinho believes should be central to the team’s football.
Although they operate in different positions, the manager wants all four to take a step forward on the pitch.
He wants them to push their lines higher and move closer to the opposition penalty area, believing this would help Real Madrid both defensively and offensively.
Mourinho wants to pin opponents inside their own box
Mourinho wants Real Madrid’s play to go through Bellingham, Valverde, Bernardo and Guler, but he has also asked them to start creating attacks much closer to the opposition area and to link up more closely with the forwards.
The idea is to make the team more compact in possession and force opponents deeper into their own half.
If Real Madrid’s midfield can build play much higher up the pitch, opponents will have to retreat. That would allow Mourinho’s side to improve their pressing, make it more effective and increase the volume of attacks.
As a result, Real Madrid should create considerably more opportunities to score.
A compact Real Madrid for 90 minutes
Mourinho wants his team to stay together and remain compact throughout the full 90 minutes, rather than doing so only in short periods.
Defensively, this would reduce the spaces available for opponents to build their attacks and could force them to play more directly, looking to exploit the space behind the defensive line.
That is an area where the pace and defensive ability of Marc Cucurella and Denzel Dumfries, alongside Aurelien Tchouameni, can provide protection.
The same compactness could also benefit Real Madrid in attack by keeping opponents pinned back. Mourinho wants to use the quality of his players to create a greater number of dangerous situations.
Mourinho’s idea is that Real Madrid’s most talented players must push the team forward and help them put opponents under pressure much closer to the box.
