"The magic square is complete": Mourinho finds the perfect recipe to cement Real Madrid's revival
"This is something all players have now"
José Mourinho has finally found the line-up he has craved since the start of the season. After his side's outstanding tactical and physical display in the Clásico at the Camp Nou, the Real Madrid boss has decided to keep his core team intact.
The mood in the dressing room is buoyant, and there is a sense that the players have finally grasped the pressing and direct attacking methods the coaching staff demand.
According to Marca, the one certainty right now is that the attacking line stays unchanged. The front three have struck complete harmony, creating danger out wide with remarkable ease.
The wings have become a constant threat. Individual dribbling blends with a collective commitment to win the ball back the moment it is lost, tearing opposition defences apart.
"This is something all the players now have. I have seen Kylian pressing too; very committed players. The team is improving, and it is playing well. I am really happy with this performance. When the attacking players make sacrifices, it benefits the team," the Portuguese explained.
The secret to this balance, though, sits a few metres further back. There, Mourinho has found in Bernardo Silva the ideal playmaker for his double pivot.
Having given up the wings, the midfielder has taken control of the centre of the pitch. He provides direction and resistance to pressure, transforming the team's ball movement.
Silva's partnership in midfield brings the order and clarity that had been sorely missing, and the team's control over games, so absent early in the season, has returned at once. Mourinho's magic square of Tchouaméni, Bernardo, Arda and Bellingham gives meaning to everything.
With the coach's ideas now bedded in and the midfield firing, changes to the starting line-up have become mere details or part of the planned rotation.
Mourinho confirmed: "Not 100 percent, but we are improving. Less than four months is a short period, and we have made gradual progress. I now understand things I did not understand on day one, and the players understand my character 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 on the right track."
These pieces in place, Mourinho approaches the coming matches intent on cementing a starting line-up that has become central to his plans.
