I woke up early to tell you that yesterday on Radioestadio Noche we continued talking about what happened on the Champions League matchday, especially the possible solutions to all the problems that Madrid has encountered at this start of the season.
And listening to opinions and reflections I realized that Xabi Alonso had already detected it just a year ago. Note that Xabi was the first who wanted to break up the midfield with Tchouaméni and Fede Valverde, to put Güler in that area, who is the player who best fits the profile of organizer and the creation of the game.
Xabi was the first to notice that Valverde works better on the right, due to his ability to travel kilometers, exploit the wing and display physical power.
And he was the first to conclude that Vinicius cannot play everything and cannot be an untouchable who does not go on the bench if the game needs another teammate more.
Madrid was right in choosing Xabi, because Xabi had an idea and knew how to carry it out. He perfectly studied the holes to plug in the team and how to take advantage of his squad’s resources in the most effective way. The proof that he was not wrong is that Mourinho, after almost two months of competition, makes very similar decisions.
Xabi passed the theoretical exam with honors, but was sentenced to fail the practical one. He did not know how to transmit that hierarchy to the players or he did not manage it well, because the disagreement with Vinicius and the public with Fede Valverde was televised. With the Brazilian in the ‘classic’, no less; with the Uruguayan, in the Kazakh city of Almaty.
Mourinho knows that this management with the players is key to maintaining authority and ensuring that no one rebels. Because rebelling against a coach is dividing a team into two sides. The Portuguese will forgive a mistake, but not a betrayal.
