"He is not at the level of Guardiola and Enrique": Is Mourinho still a top-class manager?

A sharp controversy surrounding the Portuguese coach before the start of his new era

Radio Marca's "La Tribu" programme turned its attention to Jose Mourinho's return to Real Madrid, tracing how the Portuguese coach has evolved over the years and picking apart the row that still surrounds his personality and style.

Much of the debate centred on which Mourinho might surface in this new chapter at Real Madrid. Could he offer a calmer figure than the one who prowled the Santiago Bernabeu touchline during his first spell?

One participant put it plainly: "I think we will see a different version from the one we saw in 2011."

Others weren't convinced. Several doubted whether Mourinho could ever be prised apart from that fierce personality, with one voice admitting he struggled to picture the Portuguese without his knack for controversy.

Mourinho: the complete package

Talk turned to the character of the Portuguese manager and how the controversy that has trailed his career has shaped his image.

One of the participants said: "What Mourinho does is not something contrived, and it is not a shield he hides behind. Mourinho is like this," before summing up the idea by saying: "You have to take the whole package from him."

Others took a different view. They argued that Mourinho has the right to grow and to correct behaviours he feels he got wrong, stressing that "everyone has the right to redirect the things they realise they got wrong."

Is Mourinho still a top-class coach?

Mourinho's current standing as a coach sparked one of the fiercest disagreements. One participant rated him "a very good coach", but no longer on the same footballing level as Guardiola or Luis Enrique.

Back came the reply: "Mourinho is first class, first, first."

His defenders argued that the Portuguese "innovated and made his teams competitive", and that his influence on the game runs deeper than the results of the sides he has managed in recent years.

Critics leaned on the opposite. They pointed to his recent decline and dwindling trophy haul, recalling his spell at Roma, his defeat to Sevilla in the Europa League final, and the stints in Turkey and Portugal that followed.

Real Madrid did not just sign a coach

The discussion turned finally to why Real Madrid picked Mourinho, with some participants convinced the club wanted more than a footballing model. They wanted a personality back, and a different way of handling the big nights.

One of them put it bluntly: "Real Madrid signed Mourinho because he is an institution, and because he represents a way of being," a nod to his first spell at the club and his knack for going toe to toe with Barcelona.

Results, though, will settle everything. Mourinho's real fight, as the discussion had it, "will not be his personal battle, but rather an attempt to make Real Madrid win".

He comes back at a moment when the club is desperate to reverse recent seasons, two years without a Spanish title and Barcelona ruling the roost. The discussion closed on a line: "Mourinho is what Florentino Pérez brings."