Mourinho’s Real Madrid rebuild gathers pace as midfield quartet settles

Jose Mourinho believes Real Madrid are beginning to find the balance and consistency he has been seeking since the start of the season, with the team’s performance in the clasico at Camp Nou encouraging him to retain the core of his starting side.

A positive mood has emerged in the dressing room, alongside a growing belief that the players have finally absorbed the pressing and direct attacking principles demanded by Mourinho and his coaching staff.

According to Marca, the main change has not come in attack, where the front three have remained together and developed a strong understanding. The combination has given Real Madrid a reliable threat in wide areas, with the forwards increasingly effective at creating danger from the flanks.

The wingers are now contributing in both phases. Their individual dribbling is being matched by a collective commitment to recover possession immediately after losing the ball, helping to disrupt opponents’ defensive structures.

“This is something all the players have now. I also saw Kylian pressing; the players are extremely committed. The team is improving and playing well. I am really happy with this performance. When the attacking players make sacrifices, it benefits the team,” Mourinho said.

The foundation of that balance has been established further back, where Bernardo Silva has emerged as the creative presence Mourinho wanted in a double-pivot midfield structure.

After moving away from a role on the wings, the midfielder has taken control in the centre of the pitch. His ability to direct play and resist pressure has changed the way Real Madrid circulate the ball.

Silva’s partnership with the rest of the midfield has supplied the organisation and clarity that were badly missing at the beginning of the campaign. It has also brought greater control to matches, an area in which Real Madrid had previously struggled.

Mourinho’s midfield “magic square” of Aurelien Tchouameni, Bernardo Silva, Arda Guler and Jude Bellingham is now giving structure and purpose to the team’s approach.

As the manager’s ideas become more established and the midfield begins to function at full capacity, alterations to the starting XI are increasingly viewed as temporary changes or part of an agreed rotation plan.

“It is not 100%, but we are improving. Less than four months is a short time, and we have made gradual progress,” Mourinho added. “I now understand things that I did not understand on the first day, and the players understand my personality as a coach better. They understand the things that are non-negotiable for me.

“There is good human communication between the players and the coach, between my ideas and their abilities. We are doing well.”

With those elements now in place, Mourinho approaches Real Madrid’s next fixtures determined to establish a starting team that has already become central to his plans.

Real Madrid are scheduled to face AEK Athens in the Champions League on 04 November 2026, before meeting Malaga in La Liga on 07 November 2026. Racing Santander are also listed among the club’s upcoming opponents.