Real Madrid may have walked away with nothing in the recent Ballon d’Or gala, but that shouldn’t hinder what has been a terrific week for Los Blancos.
After the international break, Real Madrid have looked like a team on a mission, notably securing a brilliant comeback win over AS Roma and in the season’s first El Clasico, they were able to dismantle Barcelona as well.
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This has helped Real Madrid bridge the gap at the top of the league to just three points, with Real Madrid now looking like the team to beat.
According to SER (h/tDefensa Central), the mood in the Santiago Bernabeu’s executive offices towards Jose Mourinho and his squad is overwhelmingly positive.
Mourinho has bested Barcelona and how. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)
The 1-2 triumph at the Camp Nou, sealed by a Kylian Mbappe double, has transformed the landscape.
Real Madrid sit on 24 points, just three adrift of Barcelona with Atletico Madrid sandwiched in between, and the hierarchy views the victory as a defining statement. It was billed internally as the ultimate test, and one the team passed with flying colours.
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Much of the credit has been directed at Mourinho himself, with the club delighted by the transformation he has overseen.
The Portuguese is praised for reshaping his starting eleven, notably deploying Federico Valverde on the right and handing responsibility to the likes of Bernardo Silva, Arda Guler and Yan Diomande, the latter said to have been crying out for a starting berth.
The special one is doing special things again at Real Madrid. (Photo by Tullio M. Puglia/Getty Images)
This is in stark contrast to how gloomy things were looking for Mourinho, especially before the first international break of the season.
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Defeats to Real Betis and Atletico Madrid had placed his position under the microscope, with reports suggesting Florentino Perez had begun to waver and that Didier Deschamps was being lined up as a potential successor.
The Clasico had even been framed as a possible make-or-break moment for the manager.
Instead, a flawless October, which also included wins over AS Roma and RB Leipzig in the UEFA Champions League, has flipped the narrative entirely.
The talents of Bellingham, Guler and Diomande have proven decisive, and Perez, long one of Mourinho’s staunchest allies, is now firmly behind his coach once again.
