Jose Mourinho looks like he’s heading back to the big time for a second spell at Real Madrid, and you’d be forgiven for wondering why.
The ‘Special One’ has been getting less and less special in recent years as his managerial career has spun downwards from Europe’s best sides to the likes of Roma and Fenerbache. But Madrid have had a disastrous time by their standards and are on track for a second trophyless season in a row for the first time in 20 years.
If there’s one thing President Florentino Perez cares about more than anything else, it’s winning.
That’s where he reportedly wants Jose to come in.
Madrid’s biggest successes over the past 15 years came with Zinedine Zidane and Carlo Ancelotti at the helm, two managers known for not overloading players with silly things like tactical instructions.
Perez tried to change last year by appointing a fancy modern coach in Xabi Alonso but sacked him as soon as the players decided they didn’t like being told where to stand or how to play.
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Perhaps Perez thinks going back to basics will mark the start of a new era of continental dominance for Madrid.
Mourinho was being coy when asked about a potential return this week.
‘My next goal is to get Benfica to the Champions League.’ he said.
‘If we win the next three matches, we’ll play in Europe’s biggest competition. That’s the only thing on my mind.’
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Would Mourinho be a success back at Real Madrid?
Let’s get the ‘for’ column out of the way first.
Madrid’s players are better than most other teams, so it only takes a bit of motivation to turn them from second place failures to league winners – Mourinho can probably still do that.
But even winning the league isn’t enough at Madrid, where the Champions League and style of play are king, and it makes the ‘against’ column much meatier. Mourinho has had mixed results wherever he’s been since his second spell at Chelsea ended in tears in 2015.
On the pitch his teams tend to look toothless and disjointed, and there’s a sense that his style of play doesn’t work at the highest level any more – especially when you consider how difficult it is to get the likes of Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappe to do any sort of defending.
That’s on the pitch, but it’s off the pitch where bigger problems may lie.
Just this season Mourinho robustly defended Benfica player Gianluca Prestianni after he was accused of making a racist remark towards Vinicius in the Champions League. Prestianni denied this, admitted he was being homophobic instead and got a six-game ban from UEFA.
Would Vinicius accept a manager who this week backed Prestianni yet again?
‘If I were in the stands, I’d be applauding too,’ Mourinho said after fans celebrated the winger’s return to the pitch on Saturday.
Given Madrid’s success relies on players feeling the love, it’s hardly a match made in heaven.
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