A season, not seven games, should define Mourinho’s Madrid

A season, not seven games, should define Mourinho’s Madrid Marc Cucurella has urged patience with José Mourinho’s Real Madrid, saying the new project should be judged at the end of the campaign rather than after a difficult opening. ESPN report that Madrid have lost two of their first seven LaLiga matches, against Real Betis and Atlético Madrid, leaving them six points behind early leaders Barcelona. The Spain international acknowledged that Madrid’s start had not matched expectations, but pointed to the changes involved in beginning under a new manager. He also highlighted the limited preparation time available to some players, arguing that the team needs time to take shape. Madrid’s opening defeats have brought early scrutiny Defeats to Betis and Atlético have given Mourinho’s first weeks back in the dugout a sharper edge, with the derby loss particularly intensifying scrutiny of Madrid’s form. Real Madrid’s defeat to Atlético was one of the two results that left them trailing Barcelona by six points. José Mourinho Cucurella’s argument is that those results should be viewed within the context of a developing team, rather than as a final verdict on Mourinho’s work. He said it was too soon to assess the new manager and that the campaign’s progress would offer a more meaningful measure. The left-back also has his own adjustment to make. He joined Madrid from Chelsea in a summer move worth €55 million ($62 million), and said the lack of a proper preseason, alongside the need to learn new teammates, had made the start challenging. Cucurella wants his Spain form to carry over There has been a contrast between Cucurella’s early Madrid experience and his recent displays for Spain. He impressed in Nations League victories over England and Croatia during the international break, but acknowledged that there are areas of his club game to improve as he adapts to his new surroundings. Marc Cucurella playing for Spain. His aim, as reported by ESPN, is to reproduce for Madrid the level he has shown in Spain’s shirt. That is a personal challenge as well as part of the wider adjustment Cucurella says the new Madrid project requires; results alone cannot tell the whole story before the team has had time to settle. Spain were scheduled to host Czechia in Oviedo on Saturday 3 October before travelling to Croatia on Tuesday 6 October. Cucurella is also among the 30 nominees for this year’s Ballon d’Or. He declined to choose between Madrid teammate Kylian Mbappé and Spain teammate Lamine Yamal, both of whom are candidates. For Madrid, the immediate task is to respond on the pitch while Mourinho’s ideas take hold. Cucurella’s appeal is not that the opening defeats should be ignored, but that a new manager and a squad still adapting should be assessed over a season rather than a handful of matches.