Real Madrid have thrown the biggest curveball of the summer by confirming the reappointment of Jose Mourinho on a three year contract. For a club that...
Real Madrid have thrown the biggest curveball of the summer by confirming the reappointment of Jose Mourinho on a three year contract. For a club that prides itself on the grand gesture, this feels less like a nostalgic reunion and more like a calculated gamble born of desperation. After the tepid end to the last campaign, the boardroom has clearly decided that the Bernabeu needs a manager who will not just coach the team, but burn the place down and rebuild it in his own image.Mourinho's return to the Spanish capital is a fascinating piece of business. When he left in 2013, he was a man bruised by internal politics and a fractured dressing room. Yet the football landscape has shifted dramatically since those days of the record breaking points haul. The current squad lacks that venomous edge, that streetwise nastiness that defined the great Madrid sides. Mourinho, for all his recent struggles, brings that in spades. Expect a low block when necessary, ferocious transitional play, and a central midfield that knows exactly who the alpha dog in the dugout is. This is not the project for a purist. This is a project for a pragmatist who still believes he has the magic.The tactical implications are immediate and severe. Carlo Ancelotti's patient possession play will be tossed out of the window. In its place, we will see a side that invites pressure, absorbs it, and then strikes with clinical finishing on the counter. Vinicius Junior will need to learn to track back, or he will find himself watching from the bench. The full backs will be expected to defend first and attack second. There is no room for passengers in a Mourinho setup. The question, however, is whether this squad has the legs and the psychological fortitude to buy into that doctrine for a full season. Squeaky bum time is coming back to the Bernabeu, but this time it might start in October.One cannot ignore the emotional weight of this appointment. Mourinho still considers Madrid his spiritual home in many ways, and the fanbase has a strange, grudging respect for the man who broke Barcelona's stranglehold. But love affairs in football rarely run smooth the second time around. If the results turn sour, there will be no honeymoon period. His brand of football requires total commitment from the squad and unwavering support from the board. If either falters, the white handkerchiefs will come out within weeks. For now, though, the old warhorse is back in the stable. The circus has returned to town, and I, for one, cannot look away.
