Three biggest problems Mourinho must solve at Real Madrid immediately | OneFootball

Jose Mourinho is on the verge of returning to Real Madrid after agreeing to take charge of the club on a two-year contract.

The plan is for the official announcement to arrive after Real Madrid’s final La Liga game of the season against Athletic Club on May 24, with the Portuguese manager expected to begin work almost immediately.

The moment it became clear that Madrid were searching for a new coach, the former Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur manager wanted the job. 

In fact, he sees this as unfinished business, another opportunity to restore order to a club that has spent the season drifting between tactical confusion, dressing room tension and public frustration.

But if Mourinho thought his first spell at Real Madrid was intense, this version of the club may prove even more complicated because the problems at Real Madrid are not only tactical.

Mourinho is walking into a fractured dressing room, a leadership vacuum and a squad built around two superstars who still do not fully understand each other on the pitch.

On that note, here are three problems that Mourinho will have to look into as soon as he sits in the chair

Fixing a broken dressing room

Mourinho needs to establish order in the dressing room. (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)

One of the clearest themes of Madrid’s season has been internal tension.

Frustration exploded several times throughout the campaign, with disagreements between players becoming increasingly public as results worsened. 

Incidents involving Aurelien Tchouameni, Federico Valverde, Antonio Rudiger and Alvaro Carreras only added fuel to the feeling that harmony inside the squad had completely disappeared.

Furthermore, the coaching situation made things even worse, as Vinicius Jr. clashed with former manager Xabi Alonso, while more recently Kylian Mbappe publicly criticised current coach Alvaro Arbeloa.

This is exactly where Mourinho’s personality becomes crucial.

Historically, Mourinho has thrived when restoring discipline and creating strong emotional unity inside chaotic dressing rooms. 

Real Madrid desperately need that version of him now. The club needs the dressing room to become private territory again, a place where conflicts are resolved internally rather than leaking into the media every week.

Establishing a new leader

Real Madrid have no natural leader within the team. (Photo by Adam Pretty/Getty Images)

Beyond dressing room tension, Mourinho is also inheriting another dangerous issue, which is the absence of a true leader.

For years, Real Madrid’s identity depended heavily on personalities like Sergio Ramos and Luka Modric, players capable of controlling difficult moments emotionally and mentally.

Now that era is ending completely.

Although Dani Carvajal technically remains one of the senior figures, injuries have limited his influence and he will leave the club soon. 

Meanwhile, players like Vinicius and Valverde have worn the captain’s armband without fully convincing supporters as long-term leaders.

There are also questions around whether Mourinho would even consider giving major leadership responsibility to players like Thibaut Courtois or Rudiger.

Resolving the chemistry between Vinicius and Mbappe

Vinicius and Mbappe have not worked in harmony this season. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

Perhaps the most dangerous issue of all remains the lost chemistry between Vinicius and Mbappe.

Individually, they are among the best players in world football, but put together, the chemistry still feels incomplete. 

Both naturally drift into similar spaces, both demand freedom, and both expect to be the central figure of the attack. That imbalance has already frustrated multiple coaches.

Under Alonso, Mbappe thrived. Under Arbeloa, Vinicius looked sharper, meaning Real Madrid still have not found a structure that allows both superstars to dominate together.

Now the responsibility falls to Mourinho.

If he can unlock the Vinicius-Mbappe partnership, Real Madrid could become terrifying again.