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Two losses in two Clasicos in a matter of four days, Real Madrid's situation right now is pitiful. The reigning European Champions barely look like Champions and this is not the first setback they have suffered this season. Even in the Champions League, CSKA Moskva went to Bernabeu and not only came away with three points but they put three goals past the Los Blancos. The situation of the Champions could get worse should they lose to Ajax tonight.
As always, when a team begins to go through a rough patch, the coach is the best man to make the scapegoat. Santiago Solari was handed a three-year contract in November but it will take a fourth Champions League title in as many years to keep his job intact. The task of a Champions League title is a daunting one and may not be fulfilled. Thus, the Los Blancos will look for a new coach in the summer.
Of all people, Jose Mourinho is one of the names that has surfaced to take reigns at Los Blancos. The Portuguese coach is no stranger to Santiago Bernabeu and has previously won the league with 100 points.
Despite the accolades and the tons of experience, here is why we think that Jose Mourinho won't be successful, if and when he returns for a second spell at Real Madrid.
#3 Prior history of fallout with Madrid players
Jose Mourinho is not a fan-favorite among Madridistas after the ruins that he left the club in. Real Madrid finished 15 points behind Barcelona in the league, lost to Atleti in the Copa del Rey final and was knocked out of Champions League by Borussia Dortmund.
Not only the poor results in his last season, but Mourinho had also reportedly lost the dressing room and had a fallout with senior players including Iker Casillas, Pepe, and Sergio Ramos. His recent job at Manchester United ended with a poor relationship with Paul Pogba.
Of the players that he had a problem with during his first spell at Madrid, only Sergio Ramos remains. Think about this. Jose Mourinho is still a man with a hammer fist and wants things to be done his way. Ramos, who was 27 back then and with Iker being the seniormost member of the team had fallen out with Jose. Ramos is 32 now and perhaps the most important member of the team and the person with the most appearances for Madrid right now.
There is no guarantee that the relationship between Jose and the players will be a good one, especially after his spell at United. If Jose's arrival means Ramos' departure or worse, a split creator in the dressing room, how can he be successful? It could create a slump in team-spirit and if Ramos leaves, then that is a huge void in the defense. If both are forced to co-exist, then that will not do any good, it will just be Jose v Pogba 2.0. Poor results for the manager, poor performance from the player.
Ramos wasn't happy when he was asked about Mourinho's possible return to the helm either.
#2 Jose hasn't got the touch of nurturing talents or improving blossoming footballers
With Brahim Diaz's addition to the Real Madrid squad, there are now 9 players who are 23 or under in the first team. Vinicius, Marcos Llorente, Ceballos, all have hopes of carrying forth the dynasty of Real Madrid. Right now, Santiago Solari is the coach and the good thing with him is, he was the coach at Castilla and knows how to deal with youngsters.
Except for Isco, every player has been managed well by Solari. Let us take Jose Mourinho. There are many players who have excelled under him but that is now a thing of the past. In his recent stints, there haven't been many youngsters who have performed outstandingly well.
There was Eden Hazard, of course, who came into limelight under Jose Mourinho and played well also. But then look at Hazard at the start of this season under Maurizio Sarri. Did Hazard play anywhere near that level under Conte or Mourinho? Look at Romelu Lukaku. Is it a coincidence that his form is coming back slowly under Ole?
Look at Jose at Manchester United. Paul Pogba is at least 2x better than he ever was under Jose Mourinho. Have we ever seen Andreas Pereira as good as he was against Southampton? Fred was bought in the transfer window. Did he reach anywhere close to the expectations? Did we even know that Diogo Dalot can be so good on the pitch? Has Marcus Rashford improved after Jose left?
These are all youngsters and they are clearly better when the Portuguese coach is not around the team. It is not based on one game, Jose doesn't really inspire youngsters. It requires a different kind of management that seems lost now. He had it at a time with Drogba being one of the bigger examples but not right now.
Also, there are a lot of players who didn't reach their potential under Mourinho. Kevin De Bryune, Salah, Lukaku, all were mediocre under Mourinho before they were sold and then rejuvenated themselves into who they are now.
If Mourinho comes to Madrid now, there is a huge chance that youngsters don't live up to their potential. This will, of course, harm the confidence of the players and also could end up getting them sold which is worse. Casemiro only had two starts for Mourinho's side back when he was 24.
Marcos Llorente is about the same age now. What if Mourinho constantly benches the kid? He has a habit of doing things like that. Vinicius Junior needs to be moulded cautiously by Madrid. Can Jose do that? If he didn't manage to do that with Salah and De Bruyne in the past then how can we expect him to do this now?
For all we know, Jose won't be able to bring out the potential of these players which is a major task for coaches. Mauricio Pochettino is a much better man for this.
#1 Predictable and outdated tactics
Real Madrid needs something fresh right now, something revamped. Now how exactly is Jose Mourinho, a coach who hasn't tweaked his tactics in years going to do that? Jose Mourinho has blended a personality for good defenses in his team. If you hear Jose then good defenses and effective counters would be the first thing that comes to mind.
What would Madrid do with the same tactics? They are already tired of defending and hitting on the counter. Jose doesn't encourage a high press but Madrid is better off pressing high. Against Sevilla, they pressed high and were successful. They played amazingly in Copa Del Rey, first and second leg, just that they were unlucky. In the league, they weren't pressing effectively against Levante or Barcelona, and they were punished, lucky to come away with the win against Levante.
What was the problem with United? They weren't a Jose Mourinho team at all. Their players weren't suited to hitting on the counter while sitting deep in the defense. Pogba is not a counter-attacker, he is a creator on the ball. Mourinho is too stubborn or perhaps in his own right, wants to keep his distinction by not altering his tactics.
This doesn't work in football. Even Pep Guardiola had to sit back and close down the game against Klopp's Dortmund in Bundesliga, which he hardly does. But he did and he came out guns blazing in the second half and won. Pep, unlike Jose, is not stubborn, he likes possession but he does alter it in-game.
Now assume that Jose would surely not move away from his current tactics of, off the ball pressure, and hitting on the counter with a deep block in the defense. We can say, score a goal and park the bus, to make some people happy. Defense is art but teams in LaLiga are the best of intensely pressing teams, a sharp attack can always doom a team that defends all the time.
If I were a coach, I can take a blueprint of what I will do against Jose Mourinho's Madrid. 4-2-3-1 or a 4-3-3, possibly the latter will be the formation of the team. We know who the fullbacks are and also the center-backs. The counter-attacks have to go through Vinicius Junior, Carvajal, and Marcelo because these guys have the ability for it. Vinicius is the man who is the most dangerous on a counter because of his pace.
Man-marked. Quick press after losing the ball with a maximum effort of winning the ball back soon as it is given away is important. Settled attacks by Jose Mourinho's team won't be that tough to deal with because he is a man who believes that whoever has the ball has fear.
If we can make this much staying at home, professional managers and players can figure a lot out of the team. We know the players and the style. Ernesto Valverde is hated but he has a plan for every game and he knows how to win.
He is not predictable by any means. Jose? No matter the shape of the team, his philosophy is the same and that doesn't match the abilities of the current Madrid squad. These kids are not made for counter-attack they are made for the persistent attack.
