Mourinho's revolution in Madrid: Silva and Guler bring an end to the era of the solid double pivot

Silva in defensive midfield

Jose Mourinho's return to Real Madrid is no longer just a change in personality. It marks a radical tactical transformation, and the signs were showing well before the new season's official kick-off.

With the team counting down to its first matches in La Liga, the pre-season and its many experiments have laid bare a completely new approach from the Portuguese coach. Analyst Aritz Gabilondo, speaking on the programme "El Larguero" on "Cadena SER" radio, called it Mourinho's "real football change".

Gabilondo, appearing on the "Sanedrin" programme with Alvaro Benito, explained that the new Mourinho has ditched his old ideas built around a rigid, physically strong double pivot. "In the previous era, it would have been impossible to see Bernardo Silva play as a second holding midfielder alongside Tchouameni," he said. "He is a player less than 1.70 metres tall and physically light. This was impossible in Mourinho's tough era."

This transformation is no isolated case. It reflects a complete philosophy the coach has applied since his final years at Benfica, where he leaned on a playmaker close to the defensive holding midfielder.

The same goes for Turkey's Arda Guler, who now plays in a slightly deeper position behind Jude Bellingham to support the central midfielder. The old Mourinho would have branded that role an uncalculated risk.

For Gabilondo, Bernardo Silva starting Real Madrid's first match against Espanyol next Saturday is a foregone conclusion. That makes it the first official test of this new model.

Real Madrid enter the season a match behind after their first-round fixture was postponed. They begin from the second round three points adrift of their rivals, a fresh challenge for Mourinho, who wants to prove his change ran deeper than personality and reached the football itself.