Mourinho Returns to Bernabéu: Starting from Scratch

Real Madrid’s season is barely underway, but the mood around the Santiago Bernabéu already feels different. New ideas, new dynamics, same pressure. After a nervous opening win against Espanyol, Madrid finally return home for their rescheduled Matchday 1 clash with Real Sociedad – and Jose Mourinho knows he is effectively starting over.

“We start from scratch, although it is not from scratch, people already have feelings,” he said on the eve of his first home game back in charge. “There is a willingness to do things right and to support the team.”

A lot has changed since Madrid last played a competitive game at the Bernabéu. From the dugout to the dressing room, the club has been reshaped. Now comes the hard part: turning that into points.

Balancing stars and minutes

The calendar has not been kind to the players who went deep into the World Cup, and Mourinho did not hide the complexity of managing their workloads.

“You have to do this management well between playing nothing and playing a lot, for example Cucurella. I gave him 30 minutes,” he explained. “My vision is mixed with data and with what the players tell me, the knowledge that each one has of himself.”

Every decision, he stressed, sits at the intersection of numbers, experience and the players’ own feedback. The message is clear: nobody will be run into the ground in August.

Vinicius in the firing line

The conversation inevitably turned to Vinicius Jr., whose treatment on and off the pitch continues to dominate debate in Spain. The Brazilian’s talent is unquestioned; the way opponents and crowds target him is another matter.

“The reaction of the normal public can be controlled. Vinicius' relationship with the rival stand can improve. But the kicks, insults, and aggressions are due to the referee,” Mourinho stated.

“Justice must be given. It is the referee who has to protect the players and the game. You can work on your relationship with your adversaries.”

He did not stop there. Having closely watched La Liga from afar, Mourinho believes there is a clear pattern in how Vinicius is refereed.

“Last season I saw every match of Madrid and Barcelona. But what I have seen now, in preseason, it is obvious that there is a difference between Vinicius and other players,” he said.

“A dynamic has been entered, the opponents know they can. If they foul Vini, the yellow card arrives after making 10 fouls. It's a treatment I don't like.”

From the outside looking in at Benfica, he admits his perspective was narrower.

“When I was Benfica coach, I was only interested in Benfica. Vini may have more control, but if it's a kick and aggression, it's expulsion.”

Even so, Mourinho insisted he still trusts the officials.

“After seeing the last game, I really liked the refereeing. I trust the Spanish refereeing. I always trust the referee. After the game sometimes there are things I don't like,” he said, before dropping a pointed aside: “Yes Negreira, yes friends, I'm not there. I'm totally with the referees.”

A calmer Mourinho, same demands

On the touchline, Mourinho looks different to the firebrand who once prowled this same technical area. He agrees – up to a point.

“I have been feeling calmer for years, with more control of my emotions. But it's not something new,” he said. “Now I face difficult situations or frustrations, because we have not yet lost.”

The standards, though, have not shifted.

“I don't like laziness, I like people who work for Real Madrid. So far I haven't seen laziness, everyone gives everything. And everyone protects me from my dark side. I feel good like this.”

He now presides over what many consider the most fearsome attacking trident in world football: Kylian Mbappé, Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Jr.

“The most complicated thing is when you don't have top-level players. That has happened to me in other teams. Not here,” he said. “I want all three of them (Mbappé, Bellingham, Vinicius) and I am here to make decisions.”

On his Bernabéu return, Mourinho kept the focus on the collective.

“I don't want the Bernabeu to receive me in a particular way, I want it to receive the team as its team, with its passion.”

Market stance: “For me, the market is closed”

With the transfer window still open, speculation continues to swirl around Madrid. Mourinho, though, is treating his squad as settled.

“It's still open, you never know what you can go through. At the moment everything is closed, but the president or José Ángel can call me to tell me that there is an offer for one,” he said.

“For me, the market is closed. I would like to stay with this squad this season.”

Valverde, Mbappé, Espi and the tactical puzzle

The second half of the press conference zoomed in on individuals, starting with Federico Valverde and his best role.

“I don't like it when they make him play on the right back. It has happened to him in the past. For me, he is a midfield player. He can be more positional, or more mobile,” Mourinho insisted.

“Teams must have solutions. A full-back is a full-back, but today he can be a winger. Or like Trent, who can play inside.”

On whether Carlos Espi and Kylian Mbappé can share the pitch, Mourinho was open to the idea and clear about their profiles.

“We can see them together, or with Endrick. Carlos has a different profile, it was perfect for how the game against Espanyol was. I thought Carlos could be important at that time to suffocate the rival.”

Tchouameni’s delayed start and Endrick’s precaution

Aurelien Tchouameni’s situation is another delicate balancing act, shaped by his World Cup exertions.

“He has suffered a lot in the World Cup. He risked everything. He played in the semifinals with everything,” Mourinho revealed.

“He has a setback, the player is ready to play and could have continued, but we believe he should start the season at 100%. We have decided with him and the staff to wait, so that he returns a week or two later, but 100%.”

Endrick, the teenage forward whose arrival has generated huge excitement, is also being handled carefully.

“There is a specific problem next to the tendon, but it is more of a precaution. He's a player I like so much,” Mourinho said.

“He has had so many, so many offers from clubs. I didn't want to give in. I'm sure he's going to get to Carlo Ancelotti's first call. He will call me directly.”

Now comes Real Sociedad, the first Bernabéu test of this new era. Mourinho says he is calmer. The squad, he insists, is ready. The stadium will deliver its verdict soon enough.