- 2 weeks ago
Real Madrid is facing a total institutional crisis. With a divided dressing room, conflicts between superstars, and a fractured fanbase, the club appears to be completely broken. This is why they are turning to the one man ruthless enough to fix it: José Mourinho.
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00:00Breaking news and it's about Jose Mourinho. Jose Mourinho is back. Here we go.
00:20This is the most shocking managerial appointment of the decade and I'm all for it.
00:2613 years after leaving the Spanish capital, in a storm of controversy, Jose Mourinho is returning to Real Madrid.
00:32Hate more, love him. For better or worse, we shall be entertained.
00:36But why have they done it? Why have the biggest club in the world felt the need to look into
00:40their past in order to fix their future?
00:42And what exactly is on the special ones list of things to fix?
00:46From dressing room drama to a divided fan base, this is why Real Madrid are completely broken.
00:51Jose's return may be coming off the back of one of the club's worst seasons in terms of performances, identity
00:56and ultimately silverware.
00:58But Florentino Perez hasn't recalled the special one to construct a beautiful tactical project.
01:03He has recalled him because Real Madrid are facing a total institutional crisis.
01:07Let's start with the dressing room, where a team full of stars and egos have chewed up and spit out
01:11three managers in two years before seemingly turning on each other.
01:15There is an old football cliche that a dressing room can feel like an asylum, and now it seems like
01:20the inmates have taken control.
01:22The illusion of a unified Real Madrid family is no more, and frankly, it was shattered entirely during a recent
01:28training session,
01:29where Fede Valverde and Aurelien Chouameni butted heads over a poorly timed challenge.
01:34Sure, these things happen in training.
01:36You've got two top-level competitive athletes who want to win at everything all the time.
01:40But what normally doesn't happen is the argument spilling over into the changing room afterwards and ending in a physical
01:46altercation,
01:47with Valverde needing treatment for a small cut on his head.
01:50By the way, this was also just a few days before El Clasico, in which rivals Barcelona would win and
01:55clinch yet another La Liga title.
01:57The club did come out and deny many claims, but then when both players involved at the fight were fined
02:02€500,000 each,
02:05the admission of guilt is wrapped up in that as well.
02:07However, unbelievably enough, this isn't even the biggest issue in the dressing room right now.
02:12Oh no, that belongs to the question of what to do about Kylian Mbappe.
02:22There is absolutely no doubt that the French forward is a superstar.
02:25The complete player, one of the best in the world, but things just don't really seem to work when he's
02:30around.
02:31The area of the pits that he likes to operate in often clashes with Vinicius Jr.
02:35and his utter lack of defensive work rate has compromised the squad's balance and,
02:39given every manager an extremely difficult tactical hurdle to overcome,
02:43never mind the hurdle of dealing with one of the biggest personalities in the game.
02:47It has now been two years at the club for him and they've won nothing.
02:51And to top it all off, he's now playing under the shadow of what is undoubtedly one of the most
02:55embarrassing public votes
02:56of no confidence that a player has ever received probably anywhere.
03:00A petition signed by over 50 million fans to get him out of the club.
03:06Regardless of whether or not they are all Real Madrid fans in that petition,
03:09that is an absurd number and one that's impossible to ignore.
03:12But what it does show is that there is some divide in the fan base.
03:16A fan base notorious for not being the most patient or the most supportive
03:19when one of their players apparently turns their back.
03:22And Abappe has lit a fire that hasn't just burned within the confines of the playing squad,
03:27but has crept upwards within the organisation too.
03:30Now, this toxic internal atmosphere has created a massive unprecedented rift within the club's fan base.
03:36And that's fine if it's just about the team and the players.
03:39Football fans all over the world debate to their hearts content about who should be in the team,
03:43who shouldn't, who they don't like, the usual chit-chat.
03:45Now, I don't think many people would say their club is in crisis if the discussion is just about the
03:50players.
03:50But when cracks appear in their relationship with the coach, then things start getting a little bit dicey.
03:56So imagine the response when Kylian Mbappe said in a press conference recently
03:59that he was being treated like a fourth-choice striker.
04:03Only for manager Alvaro Abeloa to say that he in fact never said anything like that.
04:07I'm all for the excuse of things being lost in translation, but this ain't it.
04:11There's no way that things were that wildly misconstrued.
04:14When the standard of professionalism has been openly mocked by the club's highest earner,
04:19it's an act of complete defiance towards the club and the fans too.
04:23Right now, it looks like the fans feel utterly disconnected from a team of detached mercenaries
04:28who seem more focused on the upcoming 2026 World Cup than the prestige of wearing the white shirt.
04:33So, by hiring Mourinho, is President Florentino Perez throwing the fans a lifeline?
04:38Mourinho is a proven winner who commands ultimate, unshakable respect.
04:42But, given his recent managerial achievements, you could argue he's not exactly in his prime.
04:48In that case then, why has Papa Perez, as he's affectionately known, made this decision?
04:53Florentino Perez recently stunned the footballing world by calling for early presidential elections
04:58amidst intense media scrutiny over not only the club's direction, but also his health.
05:03More than anyone, he understands the fragile psychology of the Madrid Socios, the club members.
05:08And if they're angry about a trophyless season, his kingdom is somewhat vulnerable.
05:12He needed a massive explosive distraction to shift the narrative away from his boardroom struggles,
05:17so he got on the phone and dialed Mourinho for emergencies.
05:21Hiring him is the ultimate political shield.
05:24It's not a subtle tactical hire designed to smoothly integrate Mbappe and Vinicius,
05:29calmly and coerced Valverde and Choumeni into being best buddies again.
05:33It is a calculated move to set fire to the current squad dynamic and create a fierce us-versus-them
05:39siege mentality.
05:41Mourinho is the master of deflection.
05:43He will gladly absorb all media criticism, protect the presidency,
05:46and unite a fractured fan base against external enemies like the referees, journalists, and everyone at Barcelona.
05:52By placing the ultimate media lightning rod in the dugout,
05:56Perez has successfully ensured that the upcoming election will be a celebration of Madrid's defiance,
06:01rather than a referendum on his own failures.
06:03So it's all well and good in stalling Mourinho, right?
06:06But what are the actual expectations this time around, and what is he going to fix on the pitch?
06:11Before we get to that though, here's a quick nudge in the direction of our 442 magazine,
06:15on which there is a brilliant offer for you right now of up to 36% off area subscription packages.
06:21All you have to do is click the link in the description and choose whichever one suits you best.
06:25But for now, let's get back to the video.
06:28Unsurprisingly enough, as it was back in 2010 when he was last hired,
06:31the main aim for Mourinho is to dismantle and destroy Barcelona's grip on domestic football.
06:37Back then though, he had Pep Guardiola to deal with,
06:39and as good as Hansi Flick and Laminya Mal and co are, they aren't quite messy in Pep.
06:44So arguably, things are a little bit less daunting this time around.
06:46But what is interesting though, is if you draw comparisons to 2010,
06:51Mourinho had a fiercely loyal core of Spanish leaders, like Sergio Ramos and Ica Casillas.
06:57Whereas today, it feels like Real Madrid, on the whole,
07:00don't quite have enough skin in the Spanish national game
07:02to really suck the fans and opposition players into a rivalry, whether they like it or not.
07:07Jose must build those relationships from scratch,
07:10with a group of players who have already shown that they'll rebel against any authority.
07:14So, to give him the tools he needs, a massive summer transfer window is looming,
07:18and, well, that's not really surprising.
07:20This is Real Madrid we're talking about.
07:21Every window is a massive opportunity to spend massive amounts of money.
07:25Rumours are already swirling that the club are ready to strip away Mbappe's untouchable status,
07:29but, given the new financial rules in the Premier League, and just in general anyways,
07:34no one can afford him.
07:35When it comes to Fede Valverde, there is also talk of a Premier League move.
07:38Manchester United are tipped to sign a central midfielder this summer, and he fits the bill.
07:42But, is he within the realms of financial possibility?
07:45I'd actually say so.
07:47However, with Real, it's never about who's leaving.
07:50It's about who's coming in.
07:52There's two who seem fairly sensible and realistic,
07:54and, in fact, one name has actually been touted for quite some time,
07:58because it looks like he wants to move to Real Madrid, regardless of who's in charge.
08:02And that is Rodri.
08:05I mean, back to what I said before about being Spanish, a leader, consistently brilliant.
08:09What's not to like about him?
08:10He can provide some excellent defensive balance to this team of attacking megastars,
08:14and, given he's heading into the last year of his contract,
08:17the 29-year-old could be available for around a quoted £30 million.
08:21Even if it was more, they'd still pay.
08:23But, overall, it represents a great deal,
08:25and allows Mourinho to build the team around a very dependable, level-headed, balanced profile.
08:30The other name is also one that seems to fit this defensive-minded solidity profile,
08:35and is much needed in a tactical sense,
08:37as he can cover both the central and left-sided defensive positions,
08:40in place of the departing David Alaba,
08:42and pretty much every other defender who gets injured.
08:45And that is Josco Gvardiol.
08:47Now, I do realise raiding Manchester City for two players is unlikely,
08:50just because they don't want their squad pulled apart by a Champions League rival,
08:54but, with the emergence of Nico O'Reilly in particular,
08:57the signing of Ryan Ike Nori last summer,
08:59and the signing of Mark Gaye in January,
09:01does Gvardiol have a guaranteed starting spot at City when everyone is fit?
09:05I don't think so.
09:06You could make the same argument for when everyone is fit around Madrid,
09:09but, like I said, that never seems to happen, especially in defence.
09:13So, with those two coming in,
09:14we're seeing the wheels starting to turn on this new-age Mourinho bus,
09:18but don't mistake pragmatism for boredom.
09:21Lest we forget that in his last spell,
09:23he set the record, which still stands today,
09:25for the most goals in the La Liga campaign with 121,
09:28and he also shares the record for the most wins in the Spanish League season with 32.
09:32So, it's not all ugly.
09:34Real Madrid have arrived at an historic crossroads.
09:37The Galacticos experiment of the mid-2020s has fractured under the weight of fragile egos,
09:42training ground brawls, and a furious fan base.
09:45By bringing back Jose Mourinho,
09:47Florentino Perez is betting everything on the ultimate high-risk, high-reward strategy.
09:52Mourinho's first spell ended in a toxic civil war.
09:54This time, he's being bought in while the civil war is already raging,
09:58tasked with using his trademark ruthlessness to burn out the rot.
10:02If it all sounds so uncertain, good,
10:04because chaos is where Mourinho thrives,
10:07and what better stage to witness it all unfold than the bright lights of the Bernabeu?
10:11www.marinim astronaut.com
10:11That's all.
10:11Let's get into it.
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