Real Madrid’s dressing room remains unsettled despite Jose Mourinho’s efforts to improve the atmosphere, with the club facing a demanding run of fixtures after the first international break of the season.
According to Cadena SER, the next stage of the campaign could prove significant. Real Madrid travel to face Roma in the Champions League and Barcelona in LaLiga, while Villarreal and Sevilla visit the Santiago Bernabeu. Barcelona currently hold a five-point advantage, leaving Real Madrid at risk of losing further ground early in the season.
The mood inside the squad is an additional concern. Cadena SER journalist Anton Meana said: “The only problem is that I still feel this locker room is as cold as it was five months ago.”
Mourinho has not managed to alter the relationship between the players since taking charge. The group reportedly “does not have a good relationship with Xabi Alonso and Arbeloa”, while Meana added that “as far as we know, two players even came to blows”.
The continuing tension, which has not been eased by Mourinho’s strict approach, comes at a difficult time for the club. The situation has also been affected by the attention surrounding Kylian Mbappe.
Mbappe completed his first training session with the rest of the Real Madrid squad at Valdebebas on Wednesday after recovering from a knee injury. Mourinho moved the session to the afternoon to accommodate the return of several players from international duty.
That adjustment had not been made on Monday. As a result, Mbappe trained on his own after arriving in the Spanish capital in the morning, while his team-mates had already started their work.
Meana said Mbappe “will be available for Saturday’s match against Villarreal”. He added that the forward had recovered well enough from his injury for “Mourinho [to] start him from the beginning”.
Real Madrid have also repeated their position from last Monday, saying: “Mbappe is in good condition, and no one believes Mourinho won’t fully back him at Friday’s press conference.”
The club does not regard the player’s recent performance for Bondy as controversial and does not expect supporters at the Santiago Bernabeu to boo the team during Saturday’s match against Villarreal.
The fixture will therefore come with pressure both on the pitch and inside the squad, with Real Madrid attempting to begin October strongly while closing the gap on Barcelona.
