Thirteen years passed between Jose Mourinho walking out of Real Madrid and walking back in this summer. The reputation came with him. So did the expectation. What he inherited, though, was a club coming off two seasons without a trophy and looking for stability as much as silverware, and the three-year contract he signed was an acknowledgement that neither arrives quickly.
Seven league games in, the familiar tensions have already shown up. The defeat at Atletico Madrid was the moment the scale of the job became obvious, and it has left supporters asking the same questions about consistency and approach that were being asked before he arrived.
What the derby actually showed
Mourinho blamed two first-half calls, feeling Cristian Romero should have been sent off for a studs-up challenge on Jude Bellingham and that Lee Kang-in went unpunished for something similar on Federico Valverde. Set the officiating aside and the performance still was not good enough, which is the harder conversation.
Madrid sit fourth. Barcelona, the defending champions, are six points clear having won all seven of their league games and scored 31 goals, with Raphinha alone on 12. Atletico are second and Real Betis third, both five points behind Hansi Flick's side. For context on how rare a recovery from here would be: the only time Real Madrid have overturned a six-point deficit to Barcelona at the top of La Liga was Fabio Capello's title in 2006-07.
The midfield does not control anything
Against Atletico, Mourinho paired Aurelien Tchouameni with Valverde and pushed Bellingham higher. The combination gave Madrid legs and defensive cover but no grip on the tempo, and very little creation from deep. Bernardo Silva came on for the last eight minutes, by which point the game was already getting away.
That leaves an obvious selection question. Silva can set a rhythm; Arda Guler offers creativity further forward. The double pivot does not need scrapping, but something has to change for Madrid to hold onto games rather than chase them, particularly against sides that sit in a compact block and invite them on.
Three match-winners who keep crowding each other
There is no shortage of attacking talent. Kylian Mbappe barely touched the ball at Atletico. Vinicius Jr was taken off shortly after Dean Huijsen's early second-half red card. Bellingham, Mbappe and Vinicius can all decide a game on their own, which is exactly the problem when they end up occupying the same spaces.
Vinicius needs to rediscover the directness that used to make him unplayable, and Mbappe needs chances created for him rather than being asked to manufacture his own. There is also a younger option Mourinho has barely used. Carlos Espi, 21, scored a 90th-minute winner against Espanyol on his league debut and then repeated the trick in stoppage time against Elche. Two goals, two late interventions, and a case for more minutes as the focal point when Madrid need one.
And the transitions
The other worry is what happens the moment possession goes. Atletico kept finding space around Madrid's midfield and attacking at speed, and Huijsen's dismissal made a bad situation worse. Denzel Dumfries, Ibrahima Konate, Huijsen and Marc Cucurella lined up in front of Thibaut Courtois; there is quality in that back four but not yet much cohesion, especially with the full-backs pushing on. Courtois made several important saves to keep the score respectable, which is a compliment to him and an indictment of everything in front of him.
Mourinho now has an unusually long three-week international break to think about it. Madrid do not play again until Villarreal visit on Saturday 10 October, with a trip to Barcelona two weeks after that. He has said he has concerns about the gap. He might also find it is the only stretch of quiet thinking time he gets all season.
Context: Mourinho returned to Real Madrid this summer, 13 years after leaving, on a three-year contract following two trophyless seasons. After seven La Liga games Madrid are fourth, six points behind Barcelona, who have won all seven and scored 31 goals with Raphinha on 12. Atletico are second and Real Betis third, five points off the lead. Madrid's next fixture is at home to Villarreal on Saturday 10 October, followed by a trip to Barcelona two weeks later.
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