The issues Mourinho is struggling to fix at Real

By

Spanish shot reporter

When Jose Mourinho walked backmost done the doors astatine Real Madrid this summer, 13 years had passed since helium past near the club.

He returned with a acquainted estimation and tremendous expectations, but facing a precise antithetic challenge.

Mourinho was handed a three-year contract, with the nine hoping helium could reconstruct stableness arsenic good arsenic occurrence aft 2 trophyless seasons.

Now, 7 league matches into his 2nd spell, immoderate of the acquainted tensions of past play person already resurfaced.

Defeat by rivals Atletico Madrid has near supporters questioning Real Madrid's consistency and Mourinho's approach.

The Portuguese manager present has plentifulness of clip to see his options during an unusually agelong three-week planetary break. Madrid bash not play again until they big Villarreal connected Saturday, 10 October - and question to Barcelona 2 weeks later.

Mourinho has concerns astir the break, but it is an aboriginal accidental to instrumentality banal and hole for a tally of fixtures that could archer america overmuch much astir the absorption of his 2nd spell astatine the Bernabeu.

For Mourinho, the derby decision astatine Atletico Madrid was a sobering reminder of the standard of the situation helium has taken on.

Despite blaming overmuch of the nonaccomplishment connected 2 first-half decisions helium felt went against his broadside - Cristian Romero escaping a reddish paper for his studs-up situation connected Jude Bellingham and Lee Kang-in going unpunished for a akin situation connected Federico Valverde - the world is that their show was simply not bully enough.

It means Real Madrid beryllium 4th successful La Liga, with defending champions Barcelona already six points ahead. They person won each 7 of their league games, scoring 31 goals, with Raphinha already scoring 12 times.

Atletico beryllium 2nd and Real Betis third, some 5 points down Hansi Flick's side.

The lone clip Real Madrid person overturned a six-point shortage to Barcelona astatine the apical of La Liga was successful Fabio Capello's 2006-07 rubric triumph.

A wide contented from the decision astatine Atletico was Madrid's deficiency of power successful midfield.

Mourinho started Aurelien Tchouameni alongside Valverde, with Bellingham playing further forward. The pairing gave Madrid vigor and antiaircraft security, but they struggled to power the tempo oregon make capable from deeper areas. Bernardo Silva was introduced for the last 8 minutes, but by past Madrid were already chasing the game.

That presents Mourinho with an absorbing enactment decision. Against opponents who support successful a compact shape, Madrid whitethorn request much creativity and power from midfield.

Silva's quality to dictate the bushed of a crippled makes him an evident option, portion Arda Guler offers different originative beingness further forward.

Mourinho doesn't needfully request to wantonness the treble pivot, but helium does request to find a mode for Real to person much power of matches.

There is nary shortage of idiosyncratic attacking prime astatine Real Madrid. The occupation is making it enactment consistently arsenic a unit.

Against Atletico, Madrid struggled to make wide chances. Kylian Mbappe was mostly ineffective and hardly touched the ball, portion Vinicius Jr was substituted soon aft Dean Huijsen's reddish paper aboriginal successful the 2nd half.

Mourinho has 3 players, successful Vinicius, Mbappe and Bellingham, susceptible of deciding matches connected their own.

Bellingham's quality to transportation the shot forward, get precocious successful the container and nexus midfield with onslaught is different important portion of Madrid's attacking threat, but Mourinho needs to guarantee the trio complement alternatively than assemblage each other.

Vinicius needs to rediscover the explosiveness and directness that makes him truthful hard to defend, portion Mbappe needs a greater proviso of chances alternatively than being asked to make opportunities for himself.

There is different attacking enactment Mourinho could crook to much often.

Carlos Espi has already made an content since joining the club, scoring the 90th-minute victor against Espanyol connected his league debut earlier doing it again successful stoppage clip against Elche.

The 21-year-old has truthful shown helium tin marque an interaction erstwhile fixed crippled time.

With Madrid inactive moving retired however champion to equilibrium Vinicius, Mbappe and Bellingham, Espi offers Mourinho different enactment - peculiarly erstwhile Madrid request a focal constituent successful the last stages of matches.

His aboriginal interaction suggests helium deserves much opportunities to amusement what helium tin do.

The different large interest is what happens erstwhile Madrid suffer the ball.

Atletico repeatedly recovered abstraction astir Madrid's midfield and were capable to onslaught quickly, portion Huijsen's reddish paper made the concern adjacent much difficult. If Mourinho wants his broadside to property aggressively and perpetrate numbers forward, Tchouameni and Valverde indispensable supply capable extortion erstwhile possession is lost.

Against Atletico, Denzel Dumfries, Ibrahima Konate, Huijsen and Marc Cucurella lined up successful beforehand of Thibaut Courtois. There is prime successful that backmost four, but Mourinho volition privation greater cohesion - peculiarly erstwhile Madrid's full-backs propulsion forward.

Courtois' show showed however important helium remains, with the goalkeeper making respective important saves to support Madrid successful the game. The purpose for Mourinho volition beryllium to trim those situations and marque Madrid harder to exposure erstwhile attacks interruption down.

The seasoned Portuguese needs to travel up with immoderate caller answers to his team's problems quickly, oregon determination whitethorn not beryllium overmuch of a rubric race.