Real Madrid were as disjointed last season as they ever have been, and Mourinho’s man-management and strictness will help change some of that.
Since Bale’s decline, every Real Madrid team has attacked from the left mostly.
Real Madrid haven’t had a midfielder like him for a couple of years, and despite his age, he will solve at least some of the issues Real Madrid, as a system, have had.
Sam Leveridge: Real Madrid to go a full season unbeaten at the Bernabéu.
Under Mourinho, Madrid should be able to win consistently in those dreaded away games in places like Getafe or Osasuna.
Q: Jose Mourinho is back. Real Madrid have now gone through three successive coaches and two seasons of failure. What does Mourinho bring to the table that can fundamentally change things? Can he change Madrid’s trajectory?
Sam Leveridge: Experience handling big egos and the respect of the dressing room, far more than either of last season’s coaches. While it won’t quite be Carlo Ancelotti ‘winning on vibes’, it will help to make a lot of his changes easier to implement. His defence-first philosophy will address a problem area and look to make Real Madrid hard to beat, knowing that they have the firepower at the other end.
Lucas Navarrete: He is someone who makes sure everyone pulls in the same direction, which is something Real Madrid have lacked for a while. Real Madrid have a similar culture problem than the one they had prior to his first tenure, so I do believe he can solve these issues.
Kiyan Sobhani: I know the obvious answer is ‘we finally have a psychologist to fix the locker-room issues’ so I’ll provide something different: Mourinho is a much more rigid tactical coach compared to Ancelotti and Alonso. He has a clear system (4-2-3-1) and he builds it around that, and will field a symmetrical scheme with a pure right ringer which we haven’t had in a long time. I’m very curious to see this team under him. If I’m to provide an optimistic take, it’s that Mourinho might be a good mix of Alonso and Ancelotti in terms of man-management and tactical solutions.
Mehedi Hassan: Yes, I believe Jose Mourinho can change the trajectory. Real Madrid adores Jose. But he brings in the necessary discomfort for everyone that, if someone is not doing their job properly, he will call them out without any hesitation. Real Madrid as a club needed this discomfort. He already pointed to the club hierarchy’s failures during Xabi Alonso and Alvaro Arbeloa’s stints – in a very subtle way – during the El Chiringuito interview. This was unthinkable with all of his last four predecessors, Carlo Ancelotti, Zinedine Zidane, Alonso and Arbeloa.
Hridyam Arora: Jose Mourinho is used to managing teams like Real Madrid. Bringing back the ambition, togetherness, and a culture of working hard for the club – as he has suggested in the last few days – will be crucial. Real Madrid were as disjointed last season as they ever have been, and Mourinho’s man-management and strictness will help change some of that.
Lamdarhri Achraf: First, Real Madrid’s trajectory was good with Xabi Alonso. He was on track for 90+ points in La Liga. He lost his last game with Real Madrid. But the team created 7 big chances and missed 5. Barcelona hasn’t conceded such a number of big chances since their 8- 2 defeat against Bayern Munich. The eye test and stats backed the fact that the team improved on and off the ball. There were some tactical problems, but it is worth considering that the team didn’t have a pre-season, and the board didn’t sign a midfielder to provide the traits Toni Kroos offered this team on the ball. Xabi Alonso spent only six months with the group, which was a short period for a team to implement a certain playing style, let alone excel at it. Coming to Mourinho, there is the problem of egos and culture that needs to be sorted out in the first place. Then, the tactical issues came second. Out of possession, I don’t think Real Madrid will be a good off-ball team with the presence of Mbappé and Vinicius Junior on the same pitch. They may run with intensity, but how they will run is the question here. Both showed that they lack spatial awareness; they don’t scan enough, which impacts their decision-making and their subsequent actions. In possession, Real Madrid had that major problem of lacking someone who can zip passes through defensive lines from deep, control the tempo and rhythm based on the game state’s requirements, and most importantly, someone who is secure under pressure. Arda Guler was used deeper for that role under Xabi Alonso, but he didn’t have the physicality to win duels. Also, being one-footed and having problems with playing quickly (from first-time touches, for example) made him a press trigger. High up the pitch, there are many players who want to lean toward the left, which makes that area very clogged. Plus, there are many players who want the ball at their feet. That lack of attacking depth makes the opposition comfortable in defense. Having players to run behind backlines puts the opposition in a dilemma, whether to stay still or follow the run. Both scenarios are win-win situations, as you can ping passes over the top for the runner if he’s not tracked, or you can have spaces between the lines to navigate passes if the defensive line is dragged backward. Then, there is the problem of box occupation. In summary, the trajectory of Real Madrid may change if Mourinho has answers to the problems discussed above.
Matt Wiltse: Jose comes back but he’s a different man. He admits as much. I am not expecting him to be as animated and as controversial as his first stint. What I do expect is Jose will be blunt, honest, and transparent with his players. He will make the decisions for the good of the team and will create a culture of discipline. A culture of effort and competitiveness. Those things will improve this team vs last year but I remain skeptical that this profile of players can complement each other and truly compete at the highest level.
Q: What tactical shifts or principles of play will be implemented? What do you think would make this team more successful?
Sam Leveridge: Finding a place for Arda Güler and Jude Bellingham in the same team. Working out Bellingham’s role in this system is Mourinho’s biggest test, but Güler is ready for the step up and it surely won’t come at the expense of a player of Bellingham’s quality. That could mean dropping Güler deeper, which will take some work to shore up the defensive side of the midfield which has been left almost exclusively on Aurélien Tchouameni’s shoulders.
Lucas Navarrete: I’d expect Real Madrid’s counterattacks to improve and that would be incredibly helpful. Vinicius and Mbappé’s chemistry has been lacking, and the team’s counterattacking ability could improve with Diomandé as well.
Kiyan Sobhani: I think the best version of this team contains both Arda Guler and Jude Bellingham together. They will have to co-exist and one of them (in my opinion, it’s Arda) will have to play deeper. If Mourinho can successfully get those two on the same page, he’s solved a big piece of the puzzle. Obviously, Vinicius and Mbappe will need to play well together consistently for the first time – something that hasn’t happened in their two years together – or Mourinho will have to bench one of them (and we all know how that’s going to go off the pitch).
Mehedi Hassan: An emphasis on defensive discipline is on the way. It may not be pretty to watch at the beginning, but all of Mourinho’s successful sides had a very solid defensive base – John Terry-Ricardo Carvalho, Walter Samuel-Lucio, Sergio Ramos-Pepe, Terry-Gary Cahill – all of them had consistent minutes in Jose’s successful sides. Real Madrid’s defense had no continuity or consistency over the last two seasons. I think that is about to be the first big change.
Hridyam Arora: With the signing of Yan Diomande and a return to the 4-2-3-1 set-up, I expect Mourinho’s side to be devastatingly good on the counter-attack. They have all the tools to be great at it, and it will be interesting to see how well he’s able to implement it.
Lamdarhri Achraf: Mourinho might shift Arda Guler’s position to play the Modric role. But that’s related to the improvement of Arda Guler’s physicality, more reliance on his right foot, quick reading of the situations, and execution of the pass or the action in general. People tend to link Mourinho with the counterattacking style that made the team so good in his first spell. But things have changed, and football is different in 2026. In La Liga, all the teams know that Real Madrid has transitional assets and killer players in this phase. Most of La Liga teams will sit and defend deeper. So, you need proper dynamics and a solid playing style against low blocks, which is one of Real Madrid’s problems in recent seasons. Keeping that transitional threat and adding layers to solve these compact defensive structures is a no-brainer to compete.
Matt Wiltse: I expect a far more pragmatic approach, especially in the big games. This team has never been successful pressing and Jose will play to his best player’s strengths which means sitting deep and hitting the opposition on the counter with breakneck speed. Low blocks in La Liga have been Madrid’s Achilles heel in recent seasons, it will be interesting to see how Mourinho approaches those matches.
Q: Six new signings: Bernado, Konate, Cucurella, Dumfries, Espi, Diomande – who has the biggest impact and why?
Sam Leveridge: Cucurella, he’s the only man guaranteed to start in his position and solves an area that has been problematic since Marcelo got too old. His energy and intensity is a perfect fit for a Mourinho system.
Lucas Navarrete: Cucurella, no question. Diomandé has the highest potential of them all but Cucurella will be a massive upgrade over Carreras.
Kiyan Sobhani: I could list all of them and it would be true, but that’s a lazy answer, so I’ll choose Marc Cucurella. He’s the best signing the club made this summer (but I still really believe all six will be important in varying ways).
Mehedi Hassan: Yan Diomande. We haven’t had an exciting profile like Diomande on the right wing since Gareth Bale. Since Bale’s decline, every Real Madrid team has attacked from the left mostly. Diomande could change that and open up space for Vinicius Jr and Kylian Mbappe.
Hridyam Arora: Marc Cucurella. He would be the biggest upgrade Real Madrid have made in that position since losing Marcelo. His ability to lock down the best right-wingers in world football would be crucial in Champions League knockouts and Clasicos. Bernardo Silva also deserves a shout. Real Madrid haven’t had a midfielder like him for a couple of years, and despite his age, he will solve at least some of the issues Real Madrid, as a system, have had.
Lamdarhri Achraf: I expect the buildup and progression will improve when Bernardo Silva is on the pitch. His spatial awareness, availability (most of the time looking to free himself), ball carrying, spinning around opponents, and finding those pockets of space to pass the ball are some of the qualities Real Madrid lacks in midfield. Also, I think the team finally has a winger who can operate on the right. Yan Diomandé can play on both flanks. Definitely, he is a defensive upgrade across the front line. He never stops running, reacts to triggers, recovers the ball cleanly, is an intensive counterpresser, tracks back a lot, and provides support for the fullback. In a nutshell, he works really hard. On the ball, he is more of a winger who attacks the byline frequently for crosses and cutbacks. He is one of the best dribblers, ball carriers, and chance creators in the top five leagues. So, you need an optimal box occupation for him to have a big impact.
Matt Wiltse: Bernardo adds what has been missing in midfield – a cerebral player who can allow the team to “breathe” while under pressure. He can speed a game up or slow a game down. I think he will be more important than many people assumed when the signing was first announced.
What is your “hot take”?
Sam Leveridge: Real Madrid to go a full season unbeaten at the Bernabéu. Mourinho’s Benfica didn’t lose a league game at all last season, so he can make teams hard to beat even now, and it’s hard to see a Mourinho side losing 2-1 to Celta Vigo or 1-0 to Getafe. Ancelotti managed it in 2023/24, and Mourinho should be able to do it again this season as he did in 2012/13 in the league and Europe.
Lucas Navarrete: Real Madrid win LaLiga comfortably (10+ points). I expect the team to be very solid this year and I could see them opening a big gap over Barça during the first half of the season. Under Mourinho, Madrid should be able to win consistently in those dreaded away games in places like Getafe or Osasuna.
Kiyan Sobhani: Mourinho will rotate a lot of players, including big names, go deep into his squad, keep everyone fresh and hungry week to week, and win the league. He’ll also break a Champions League barrier and go further than the team has in previous years.
Mehedi Hassan: Real Madrid will win LaLiga with 100+ points.
Hridyam Arora: Real Madrid will win the league. Mourinho’s teams usually do quite well in their respective leagues, and he will help the squad understand the importance of consistency and playing well in the ‘smaller’ games.
Matt Wiltse: The Mbappe-Vinicius-Bellingham trio fails to ignite for another season. The team could muster their way to La Liga or Copa del Rey but will fall short in the big matches in the Champions League.
Q: Give us your predictions for:
A) Unsung hero of the season
Sam Leveridge: Marc Cucurella.
Lucas Navarrete: Dean Huijsen
Kiyan Sobahni: Carlos Espi
Mehedi Hassan: Marc Cucurella
Hridyam Arora: Trent Alexander-Arnold
Matt Wiltse: Bernardo Silva
B) MIP (most improved)
Sam Leveridge: Arda Güler.
Lucas Navarrete: Trent Alexander-Arnold
Kiyan Sobhani: Dean Huijsen
Mehedi Hassan: Dean Huijsen
Hridyam Arora: Dean Huijsen
Matt Wiltse: Trent Alexander-Arnold
C) MVP
Sam Leveridge: Kylian Mbappé.
Lucas Navarrete: Kylian Mbappé
Kiyan Sobhani: Jude Bellingham
Mehedi Hassan: Kylian Mbappé
Hridyam Arora: Jude Bellingham
Matt Wiltse: Jude Bellingham / Thibaut Courtois
Q: Give us your final season predictions: Standings in La Liga, Copa, and UCL
Sam Leveridge: La Liga - 1st, Copa del Rey - Semi-finals, UCL - Quarter-finals
Lucas Navarrete: La Liga - 1st, Copa del Rey - Champions, UCL- Quarter-finals
Kiyan Sobhani: La Liga - 1st, Copa del Rey - Quarter-finals, UCL- Champions
Mehedi Hassan: La Liga - 1st, Copa del Rey - Champions, UCL: I’d rather not say
Hridyam Arora: La Liga - 1st, Copa Del Rey - Semi-finals, UCL - Semi-finals
