Real brace for the return of the ‘Special One’

With all the World Cup hubbub coming to an end, football fans are awakening to the stark realization that we are about to see Mourinho 2.0 at the Bernabeu. He signed for Real right at the end of the European football season and just before the start of the World Cup, essentially ninjaing with his way into the post. I have a football-crazy friend who wasn’t even aware that the so-called ‘Special One’ had recommitted to Los Blancos. While it has been a more low-key arrival for Mourinho this time around, he and his team have been working frantically behind the scenes to make sure that Real can reemerge from back-to-back trophyless seasons. I thought I would write a quick article identifying why Real went for the charismatic Portuguese and what his potential obstacles may be. I also want to do a quick review of the club’s transfer activity to date.

Managerial Roundabout

Real Madrid have been a bit shambolic these past few seasons. The crème de le crème of European football heritage, Real have floundered since the arrival of Kylian Mbappe (arguably the world’s best player). Real legend Carlo Ancelotti couldn’t get Mbappe to gel with the squad and injuries started to mount. Real turned to Europe’s then-hottest manager Xabi Alonso (who was fresh from breaking the back of Bayern Munich’s German monopoly). But Alonso just never connected with the Madridistas and soon fell out of favour with several of the key players. They then looked inhouse at Arbeloa but soon faced the same issues, with rumours of internal rebellion and a general lack of respect for the coaching staff.

Bringing the big-daddy energy

Florentino Perez and co have looked at this and realized that they need someone with a big personality to come in and impose themselves on the squad. Being a successful manager is probably 60% tactical nous and 40% interpersonal man-management. Being a successful Real Madrid is 75-25 the other way. You need to be able to mollycoddle the prima donnas whilst exuding quiet authority. Regardless of what you think of the guy, there are few managers in the history of club management who can match Mourinho’s aura. So, in that sense, this is one of the most logical appointments that you can imagine (especially when you consider Mourinho’s previous history with the club). But a question remains: is this the same Mourinho?

A middling Mourinho

You could argue that we haven’t really seen prime-Mourinho since he won that haul of trophies at Man United (he always said that guiding that post-Fergie Man United side to 2nd in the table was one of his crowning achievements). He underwhelmed during stints at Spurs, Roma and Fenerbahçe but did go undefeated in the league last season with Benfica (though they only finished 3rd). Still, that type of stability was enough to convince the Real top brass that he was the man to go to.

Mourinho’s aura-farming tendencies do belie his generally dogmatic, defence-orientated approach. He isn’t someone who is necessarily there to just unleash the likes of Vini Jr and Mbappe. He will look to provide a firm structure from which that can happen, which may require a bit more patience than Madridistas are accustomed to. But look at the results it can yield (his 2011-2012 La-Liga winning side was the first team in Spanish football history to finish with 100 points). But he isn’t the hot young thing anymore and has been brought here on a bit of a ‘win-now’ mandate. He needs to start well to generate momentum and get the buy-in of the Bernabéu faithful.

Pleasing the superstars

I don’t think he is going to have any problems getting the best out of Mbappe. The French superstar appears to be maturing at a rapid rate, becoming a genuine team player for France at the World Cup. The Vini Jr saga is another story. Mourinho obviously has a bit of history with the Brazilian maverick, roundly castigated for ignoring the racial abuse that Vini Jr had received in a Champions League tie against Benfica (he chose to focus on the Brazilian’s goal celebration). News that Arsenal had come in for the winger made me think that Arteta sensed there could be some enmity there. While the Arsenal link has some legs, I don’t personally think it will hold up. I think Real have dragged their feet on contract negotiations just to get the Diomande deal over the line. When that gets fully finalized, I think Vini Jr will be in a better position- especially with all this Arsenal interest- to sign an even more lucrative contract.

Splashing the cash

But I do think that Mourinho has done a (mostly) good job in the current window. Diomande is one of the most exciting wingers in world football and will probably be the long-term replacement for Rodrygo (who is moving even further down the pecking order). The Rodri transfer also looks like a formality, with a verbal agreement already in place between the clubs. He will become the heartbeat of the side, unleashing Valverde to plunder in his distinct, terrier-like fashion. I do think that Mourinho may have missed a trick in not recalling Nico Paz back Como (which they were initially going to do). The Argentine was a revelation last year and will have grown immeasurably playing alongside Rodri. Still, the Spanish giants have a buy-back option should they wish to take him next summer (for €80 million). He obviously believes that the combination of Guler and Bernardo makes Paz surplus to requirements. I personally think Bernardo, who they pinched on loan, has looked shattered for three years.

Building from the back

But Mourinho’s most impressive work in this window (unsurprisingly) is in the defensive ranks. He has acquired the trio of Dumfries, Konate and Cucurella for a combined total of €75 million (Konate arrived on a free transfer). That trio brings plenty of defensive experience and aggression (traits that have been severely lacking the Real ranks these past few seasons). In fact, there’s more than a little bit of Mourino’s original Chelsea squad about some of these purchases. Cucurella is the Ashley Cole type, hugging that lefthand touchline and effortlessly retaining possession. Konate is the Riccardo Carvalho destroyer type, using his physicality and fearlessness to intimidate opponents. Dumfries is a more contemporary addition, bringing intense verticality down that right-hand side. Where does that leave Trent? That will be one of Mourinho’s early conundrums.

Final words

So, it’s fair to say that Mourinho is in the process of assembling a squad capable of turning Real’s fortunes around. He just needs to bed in quick to give the naysayers as little wiggle-room as possible. As I alluded to earlier, Mourinho possesses the type of magnetism and ego that can cut through petty dressing-room squabbles (he can speak in teacher’s voice and the class will listen). But that same self-assuredness can make him intractable and passive-aggressive when things start to go awry. His mercurial persona will either take Real back to the top or sink them even further into the quagmire. And I will be watching every bit of it.