4 revolutionary changes: the full story of Mourinho's revolution that brought Real Madrid back to life
Real Madrid's Clasico victory was not just three points. It announced the birth of a new team. The 2-1 win on Barcelona's own turf did more than cut the gap to three points: it revealed a tactical revolution led by Jose Mourinho, one that made analysts unite around a single phrase. "Mourinho has finally convinced himself."
Los Merengues edged a precious and pivotal win over their rivals 2-1 on Sunday, in a match that reignited the La Liga title race after Hansi Flick's side had looked invincible on a run of nine consecutive victories.
Kylian Mbappe scored twice to prove once again that he is the biggest nightmare for Barcelona's defences. The French star capitalised on the absence of the influential pair Lamine Yamal and Raphinha, as Real Madrid cut the gap to just three points despite remaining third behind Barcelona and Atletico Madrid.
What is the secret behind the transformation?
According to discussion on the famous "Carrusel Deportivo" programme, the win was not down to Mbappe's brilliance alone, but to Mourinho's tactical approach. In it, he completely outclassed Flick, who looked to be without a plan B.
Analyst Julio Pulido believes the win represents a major personal success for Mourinho, saying: "I think it is a great success for Mourinho, because he managed to change his initial plan to suit the team's actual needs."
Pulido went on to explain the radical shift in the Portuguese coach's thinking: "If we look at Mourinho's plan up until last week, we would find that Tchouameni and Valverde were confined to midfield, Bernardo Silva on the bench after he had disappeared completely, and Diomande on the bench because he insisted on fielding Vinicius, and he never thought about fielding Valverde on the right wing, and this is the big change."
The Sevilla match: the turning point
The real turning point, Pulido reveals, was not the Clasico but a week earlier, when Real Madrid crushed Sevilla 4-1. From that night, Mourinho realised he could build a different team.
He said: "The Sevilla match was a turning point, things have changed since that match, he boldly fielded Valverde and sat Vinicius on the bench, and moved Guler to a position closer to the heart of the pitch and improved his performance incredibly, this is Mourinho's real success."
Barcelona: from an invincible force to a team surrounded by doubts
Analyst Miguel Martin Talavera, for his part, pointed out that this Real Madrid is completely different from the team that started the league. Despite sitting third, everyone had expected this improvement.
Talavera added a crucial point about Real Madrid's rival: "Regardless of Mourinho's success and Real Madrid's outstanding performance, I think the most important news is that Barcelona, who were invincible, dazzling and record-breaking, lost two matches in three days and came back down to earth."
He concluded: "They have shown that this requires hard work and that no one has ever won anything in October, and now I see Barcelona surrounded by doubts, especially after their defeat to Paris Saint-Germain."
