Former Real Madrid star explains how AS Roma thriller forced Mourinho to rethink his tactics

Former Real Madrid star explains how AS Roma thriller forced Mourinho to rethink his tactics Real Madrid secured an impressive victory over Barcelona at the Spotify Camp Nou on Sunday, which showed the progress they have made under Jose Mourinho. The Portuguese manager appears to have found a much better balance between attack and defence in recent weeks. The first few weeks under Mourinho weren’t exactly smooth sailing for Los Blancos , and the manager had to do some tinkering to achieve the balance that was on display against Barça . Former Real Madrid midfielder Juanjo Maqueda believes the turning point came against Roma in the Champions League. Maqueda identifies Roma clash as Mourinho’s wake-up call Speaking on Goles con Parrado (h/t Defensa Central ), Maqueda felt that it was the night Mourinho realised that selecting physically strong defensive players was not enough to guarantee stability at the back. Los Blancos conceded three goals on the night despite fielding a proper back four, and this prompted Mourinho to try Fede Valverde at right-back . “You field a back four with Dumfries, Rudiger, Konate and Cucurella, with Tchouameni and Valverde, and you think: ‘I have a squad that allows me to put out the strongest defensive team possible.’ And yet, they score three goals against you,” he explained. Fede Valverde at right-back has helped the team tick better. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images) Maqueda believes that experience forced Mourinho to reconsider his tactical approach. “If you’re not capable of defending well with those players, then you have to play differently,” he argued. Real Madrid eventually recovered from a 3-1 deficit through late goals from Carlos Espi, Endrick and Antonio Rudiger, but Mourinho gained more than just the three points. Mourinho’s tactical flexibility paying dividends Interestingly, Mourinho himself publicly acknowledged his willingness to reconsider his tactical decisions if they are not working. “I’m not stubborn. I’m completely open to the opinions of my staff, to my analysis of matches and training sessions,” he explained during a press conference. These words show that, contrary to popular belief, the Portuguese manager is not as stubborn as people think. One of Real Madrid’s biggest problems last season was the stubbornness that both Xabi Alonso and Alvaro Arbeloa showed as managers. Contrary to popular belief, Mourinho seems quite flexible with his tactics. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images) However, Mourinho’s flexibility was evident against Barcelona. He set his team up to play the perfect game to disrupt the Catalans’ plans, and it worked. The improvement is encouraging because Real Madrid’s biggest problem has never been a shortage of talent. Mourinho is slowly but surely finding the perfect system to ensure that his talented players can coexist with one another. The Clasico victory is just the first step. Real Madrid must now turn that into consistency in the upcoming games, starting with Racing Santander. Mourinho’s willingness to adapt could be viewed as the turning point in the season, and it remains to be seen how Los Blancos get on in the coming weeks.