Report – The formation Jose Mourinho plans to use at Real Madrid next season | OneFootball

Jose Mourinho’s era at Real Madrid is clearly here with the Portuguese coach enjoying a greater degree of freedom and power over the club’s transfer policy this summer.

Mourinho has already played a key role in enabling Real Madrid to sign not one but four new players in the market so far.

However, the players are only half the story. It is imperative that Mourinho can back up the strong team with his tactics.

Mourinho to operate with a 4-2-3-1

To that end, Mourinho has decided to operate with a 4-2-3-1 formation at Real Madrid heading into the new season.

Mourinho is clear about his tactical plans. (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)

This is according to The Athletic, which suggests Mourinho and Real Madrid’s hierarchy aligned on exactly what the squad needed to make the 4-2-3-1 work.

The agreed priorities were a backup to right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold, a left-back to challenge Alvaro Carreras, at least one leading centre-back and a creative midfielder.

The arrivals of Denzel Dumfries, Marc Cucurella, Ibrahima Konate and Bernardo Silva all directly address those needs.

Mourinho also favours asymmetrical full-backs, envisaging the right-back, whether Alexander-Arnold or Dumfries, having greater attacking freedom than the left-back.

He also sees Jude Bellingham as a key figure in the number 10 role, with the England international occasionally dropping into a box-to-box position.

A shift from the Alonso and Arbeloa eras

Can Mourinho end Real Madrid’s curse? (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

What makes the move to a defined 4-2-3-1 is how it contrasts with the tactical uncertainty during the previous two managers.

Under Xabi Alonso and then Alvaro Arbeloa, the team often appeared caught between systems, struggling to settle on a consistent structure that maximised the talent at their disposal.

The lack of a clear identity contributed to two seasons without a major trophy, with the squad frequently looking imbalanced and unsure of its best shape.

Mourinho has been afforded far greater influence over recruitment than either Alonso or Arbeloa enjoyed.

Where previous regimes were often handed squads built on a club-wide vision, Mourinho has been given a genuine say at the decision-making table, allowing him to mould the squad precisely to fit his tactical blueprint from day one