Legendary manager Jose Mourinho could be set for a set for a sensational return to Real Madrid, if Goal.com are to be believed.

During Real’s recent humiliating defeat in the Champions League to Ajax, a section of the Los Blancos crowd started chanting Mourinho’s name.

It now seems very likely that current coach Santiago Solari will be relieved of his duties, if not now then at the end of this campaign.

I’m not so sure a return to the Santiago Bernabeu would benefit either Jose or the La Liga giants.

The Portuguese boss has never been quite the same since his first stint in charge of the Madrid side.

Before his time in Spain, Mourinho was well known for being disciplined and a winner. Importantly he was also very much a man-manager.

At FC Porto, Chelsea and Inter Milan Mourinho would be backed 100% by his players. He’d have foot soldiers like Ricardo Carvalho, John Terry, Frank Lampard, Javier Zanetti and Marco Materazzi who would give him everything they had and who would get the rest of the pool to back their boss too.

He never seemed to have that same connection with his players had Real. Mourinho would often moan about dressing room leaks and get into arguments with his stars.

During his three years at the club, the fifty-six year old would enjoy a 71% winning ratio but it was not a trophy laden era as he guided Los Merengues to just one La Liga title and a Copa del Rey.

I don’t believe Jose Mourinho has quite got over his first stint as Real manager. He returned to Chelsea and wasn’t the same cheery character that he was before. Instead of fostering a strong ‘us against the world’ attitude with his squad, the coach would often demand too much from his star players and slate them to the press.

It was the same when Jose took over the managerial reigns at Manchester United. Yes he won some trophies in his first season and secured a second placed finish in the Premier League in his second but he would constantly attack his own players and, like at Real and at Chelsea, the United players downed tools in his third year at the club.

Personally, I’d suggest that Mourinho take a step back and take around eighteen months out of the game. He needs to rediscover his love of football and learn to trust footballers again.

I’m not sure he’ll get either of those things by going back to Real Madrid.

He will need to get the players onside and that might not be easy given Marcelo and Sergio Ramos are still there and weren’t huge fans of the Portuguese boss during his final months at Real.

When speculation started about Mourinho coming back to Madrid, club captain Ramos was in no mood to  discuss the possibility (Source – BBC Sport):

“People need to show more respect to the coach we have now,”

“Mourinho left us five years ago yet everyone keeps talking about him.”

Recent reports from Sky Sports suggest that Sergio Ramos has had a falling out with Real President Florentino Perez. While Brazilian left-back Marcelo looks set to join Cristiano Ronaldo at Italian champions Juventus in the summer, according to AS.com.

Yet even if possible enemies like Ramos and Marcelo were to depart the Bernabeu in the coming months, that news could actually be bad for Mourinho as he’d have a huge rebuilding job to do.

The Spanish giants have yet to replace Ronaldo and that will probably cost them a world record transfer fee.

You then have to bring in a world class centre-back and a top left-back too.

The club aren’t fully strengthened in the midfield positions either.

They do have a talent in young Brazilian forward Vinicus Junior but again that could be another problem for Jose. The coach struggles to commit to youngsters and give them the best chance to flourish.

Yes Jose Mourinho has a wonderful CV and yes Real Madrid are a huge club but bringing the two back together seems like a marriage out of convenience rather than one made in heaven.

If Jose returns to the Bernabeu as a disillusioned and bitter manager, like the one that left, then I just can’t see Real Madrid being the ideal destination for the ‘Special One’.

Posted on March 8th, 2019 by scott
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