Real Madrid News
Real Madrid believe Mourinho’s return is already a huge success – report
Real Madrid’s decision to bring Jose Mourinho back to the Santiago Bernabeu was always going to attract attention, and according to Jose Felix Diaz, Los Blancos are already pleased with what they have seen from Mourinho since his return.
The feeling within the club is that his appointment has been a major success despite the fact that the Portuguese is yet to oversee a competitive match.
More importantly, there is a belief that Mourinho has brought something Real Madrid felt they had been lacking for too long: authority.
After a difficult period marked by inconsistent performances, multiple managerial changes and growing problems within the dressing room, the club decided that another ordinary coaching appointment would not be enough.
Real Madrid needed a figure capable of taking control of a powerful squad while driving a restructuring process. That search eventually led Florentino Perez back to Mourinho.
Real Madrid needed a reset after two difficult seasons
The 2025/26 season exposed several problems at Real Madrid.
To begin with, the club had gone two seasons without winning a major trophy and had changed managers three times.
During that period, Barcelona established themselves as the dominant force in La Liga under Hansi Flick, winning the league title in consecutive seasons.
For Real Madrid, the issue was not just the lack of silverware, as there was a growing sense that the team had lost its identity.
Chemistry within the squad failed to develop, while performances often lacked a clear direction. The defensive structure was also a major concern, with injuries further disrupting any progress the team appeared to make.
The club therefore felt that a serious reset was required.
Indeed, Real Madrid considered several candidates before making their decision, but Mourinho offered something the club did not believe was readily available elsewhere in the managerial market.
He brought authority.
Managing Real Madrid is never simply about tactics. The dressing room is filled with strong personalities and world-class players, meaning the manager must be capable of establishing control without losing the respect of the squad.
That was one of the biggest reasons behind Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid return.
The club wanted a manager with a strong personality and a proven ability to handle pressure, difficult situations and demanding dressing rooms.
Mourinho’s authority convinced Florentino Perez
Notably, Florentino Perez has not forgotten Mourinho’s first spell at Real Madrid between 2010 and 2013.
The Portuguese coach took charge during one of the most difficult periods imaginable, when Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona were at the height of their dominance.
Under his management, Real Madrid won La Liga with a record-breaking points and goals tally, ending Barcelona’s domestic dominance and delivering one of the most memorable league campaigns in the club’s history.
Furthermore, there is a strong belief that the Portuguese manager helped establish tactical and structural foundations that later contributed to Real Madrid’s European success under Carlo Ancelotti and Zinedine Zidane.
That history clearly played a crucial role in Perez’s thinking.
The Real Madrid president was also convinced that Mourinho was the right figure to address the club’s growing internal problems.
Tensions within the squad had become increasingly serious and had even resulted in a physical confrontation between players.
In such an environment, Perez believed the club needed a manager capable of restoring normality and setting clear boundaries, and Mourinho’s reputation for demanding discipline and taking control of his environment made him an obvious candidate.
After three successive wins to start the season, a 1-0 loss to Real Betis came as a reality check for Real Madrid, who are still some way off matching the quality and consistency of Barcelona.
In light of the defeat, the Real Madrid coaching staff is analysing the best way to get the most out of the current setup.
More expected from Valverde
According to Defensa Central, one of the key conclusions drawn from the Betis defeat is that Real Madrid need greater involvement from Federico Valverde with the ball.
The Uruguayan has been deployed as the pivot, largely due to the absence of the injured Aurelien Tchouameni, but he is yet to make the step up in quality the team requires from that role.
While his effort and commitment are never in doubt, Mourinho and his staff, led by Sami Khedira, feel Valverde spends too much time positioned behind the opposition’s midfield line.
As a result, he fails to offer passing lanes to his teammates when they are under pressure, forcing them into hurried, aimless clearances rather than playing out cleanly from the back.
That concern has already been communicated to Valverde, who is still adapting to a position he has never truly played, making the challenge all the more difficult for him.
A collective issue to fix
However, the problem is not Valverde’s alone, with the coaching staff identifying a wider issue in the team’s structure.
Khedira has reportedly noted a certain passivity from the attackers in the videos of the match, particularly Vinicius Jr and Kylian Mbappe, when it comes to offering themselves as the ball transitions from midfield into attacking areas.
That lack of movement compounds the difficulties for the deeper midfielders.
Mourinho, for his part, remains unfazed by the departure of Rodri to Barcelona, insisting his squad has the tools to cope.
“I’m not missing Rodri. We have solutions, we have quality,” the Portuguese said, before adding that he backs his ability to improve players.
With a Champions League opener against Inter Milan on the horizon, Mourinho and his staff will be keen to iron out these issues quickly.
