Jose Mourinho's biggest challenge at Real Madrid has nothing to do with football

Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho’s biggest challenge won’t be to manage the results on the pitch, but to make every single player realise the responsibility of the shirt they are wearing every single day.

That, although paraphrased, is what Mourinho leaned towards in a recent interview with the club during his presentation ceremony.

He talked about what he is there to do, and what he wants everyone at the club to follow.

He said: “I’m one of you, I always have been, and you can imagine what it means to me to work for Real Madrid. This is a principle everyone must follow: working for Real Madrid means working for you.

“Words aren’t enough… because it’s like a mission. It’s not about worrying about myself or whether I’ll earn a lot or a little.

“I’m here to help everyone be better: players, staff… To create a culture of hard work, responsibility, ambition, and something I know well, the responsibility and honor of working for Real Madrid. I really like this concept.”

Jose Mourinho is ticking all the boxes at Real Madrid already

That is exactly what Real Madrid need at this moment in time. Obviously, things could be better for them on the pitch. They have struggled to be consistently good against smaller teams, and even remotely comparable to the big guns in Europe. However, that, in itself, is more of a mental problem than a football one.

Obviously, certain aspects have to be better, and Real Madrid needed more profiles than they thought last season, which is why there was a huge investment in the transfer window, too.

But, that’s not it. The group needs to change its mentality from within. They need to understand what they are playing for and who they are playing for every time they step on the pitch.

It’s like Mourinho’s first tenure, in ways – the group, as individual players, is fantastic. Real Madrid have some of the best players in the world. But football is not played with individuals – it’s played by a team that works for one another. Real Madrid desperately need that, from a cultural sense, in their squad.

Once those things change, the club will improve, the performances will be better, and the squad harmony will also be more natural than ever before.

However, that culture shift will be the primary change, if Real Madrid want to improve and move forward. Mourinho realises that, and it will be interesting to see what he does to change it, in his second tenure at the biggest club in the world.