‘WOULD BE A SPECTACULAR CAR CRASH’ 💥 Real Madrid contact Mourinho over manager job | ESPN FC

0:00 We've heard of Jose Mourinho's name being

0:01 linked with a return to Real Madrid, Alex,

0:03 but it does seem to be that he is emerging as a serious contender right now,

0:08 and those reports have got stronger today.

0:10 Is this going to happen?

0:14 Yeah, multiple reports today, as you say, Kay,

0:17 that there has been direct contact with Mourinho, with his agent, Jorge Mendes.

0:21 The Mourinho's even been informed about what's been going on behind the scenes

0:25 at Real Madrid in terms of that dressing room bust-up this week.

0:28 We had said he's one of the names that's being discussed,

0:30 a name that was on the the short list.

0:32 It does feel like it's becoming more of a reality now.

0:36 And I've got to say, off just a a bizarre, you know,

0:39 mad week here in Madrid in terms of what's going on in that dressing room.

0:43 You I don't know about you, you kind of get to the point where you think, "Oh,

0:44 maybe maybe Jose is the answer." As as as as as wild

0:49 as it sounded when his name was first linked,

0:50 because look, he has been kind of, you know,

0:52 in the relative wilderness as a coach for the last sort of decade or so,

0:56 hasn't been winning things, hasn't been a top-line manager.

1:00 Given the mess that there is to sort out here at the Bernabeu,

1:03 you know, like I say, you're going to get to a point where you feel like, "Well,

1:06 yeah, maybe maybe this is the the way forward." We don't know.

1:08 We can't report here at ESPN that this is kind

1:11 of a done deal yet, that he is the guy,

1:13 but certainly no question right now, given what we're hearing,

1:16 it looks like he is the the best-placed candidate to take charge this summer.

1:20 What do you think of these links, Craig?

1:23 Well, it's not exactly progressive, is it?

1:25 Do you think it's what they need at the moment though,

1:27 with what's going on there?

1:28 Well, I don't know, because you know, Mourinho's not going to you know,

1:32 he he likes to butt heads as well,

1:34 excuse the pun, with all that's going on, but he

1:36 he does like to to butt heads with players.

1:40 And look, he could go in and is he as calm a man manager as Carlo Ancelotti?

1:48 No.

1:49 No, he's much more rumbustious.

1:52 He's much more confrontational.

1:54 And you know, if the likes of Vinicius

1:57 Junior and others are not pulling their weight,

1:59 or they're not working hard enough, or results are not going their way,

2:03 there's not going to be enough buses for everybody to get thrown under.

2:06 So, you know, Jose Mourinho at one point, Porto, Chelsea, Real Madrid,

2:11 Inter, was arguably at that point the best manager on the planet.

2:17 He walked into Chelsea, he said, "I'm the special one." And he was at the time.

2:21 He was, and he did some great things.

2:23 But, as Alex mentioned, Alex mentioned, the last um 10 years,

2:27 I don't know how many years, he has been in the wilderness.

2:29 He hasn't had that Midas touch.

2:31 He hasn't been able to get the same out of certain players,

2:34 albeit he's managed teams at a slightly

2:36 lower level when you think about you know,

2:39 his time in in in Turkey, his time in England, when he went to Tottenham.

2:44 There's been other jobs.

2:45 Uh so, it's not the same Mourinho that's walking

2:47 back in who walked into Real Madrid the last time.

2:51 So, I can't answer this question.

2:53 It it If all of a sudden Jose Mourinho is

2:55 going to be this marvelously calming influence in the dressing room,

2:59 which he hasn't really been for quite some time.

3:02 So, I think Alex word for the week in Madrid is correct, bizarre.

3:07 And this falls into that category a little bit.

3:09 I I I I have to say,

3:10 you asked me this 2 weeks ago, it makes absolutely no sense.

3:14 But, to to Alex's point, um well,

3:17 kind of given Jose Mourinho being out in the wilderness,

3:20 as as the term that's being used,

3:21 um though having a decent season, undefeated season with with Benfica,

3:26 and then given what you saw in the tie between Real Madrid and Benfica

3:29 in the Champions League uh earlier

3:31 this season with Prestiani and Vinicius Junior,

3:33 and how poorly Jose Mourinho handled that, it it seemed even more uh

3:37 uh a a a far a far shot in in in that regard.

3:42 But, everything you've seen this week,

3:44 it just screams that it needs a disciplinarian.

3:46 And while Craig mentions Carlo Ancelotti,

3:49 you look at managers who may be able to come in and turn

3:52 turn things around in in in just in this dressing room.

3:56 [music] Managers who may be available, Carlo Ancelotti is not one,

3:59 the only name that kind of makes sense

4:02 from a disciplinarian point of view is Jose Mourinho.

4:05 Maybe not from a footballing or a results perspective,

4:09 but for what is clearly an unraveling dressing room,

4:12 Jose Mourinho ticks the most boxes, doesn't

4:14 just before we go to the boys who are there waiting patiently,

4:17 just quickly, you're not going to solve

4:19 this by continually changing the manager.

4:21 It's the players and Luis Enrique and PSG are a great example of the big egos,

4:27 the big stars left, Neymar, Mbappe, Messi.

4:31 They were replaced by very good players who worked hard and they were hungry.

4:35 And and that was the difference.

4:37 I think Florentino Florentino Perez has to realize it may

4:39 have to be some of the players he has to replace

4:43 uh because it seems to me he has no idea

4:46 of what way what path he wants to go down.

4:49 You know, he he went down the Xabi Alonso, it was very progressive,

4:52 but the the the dressing room uh revolted in that.

4:58 And so it seems honestly seems that Florentino Perez is

5:02 lost in the direction he wants to take this football club, whereas at Barcelona,

5:08 they have a manager in Hansi Flick who's been

5:10 very progressive and they're going to win the league again.

5:13 There's a big game this weekend,

5:14 but they're a very entertaining team and he and he does have discipline as well.

5:19 So you can have both uh but I I just

5:22 I just don't see how hiring Jose Mourinho just to sort

5:26 of solve a few issues within the dressing room is

5:28 going to make Real Madrid better on the field again.

5:31 What are the thoughts from you guys out in Barcelona?

5:33 Let me start with you, Luis.

5:37 Uh actually listening to to the guys, I think is Shaka made a fantastic point.

5:42 I mean, having someone who knows the club and he

5:44 can bring a little bit of discipline and address

5:46 the situation that the Real Madrid has been having

5:49 for I don't think that it's only a year.

5:51 It's It's It's been for for quite a long period.

5:53 I think it could be something that he Mourinho can help.

5:56 He's got a background that people will respect, players will respect.

6:00 He's got that discipline side that I think is very important to implement

6:03 right now at Real Madrid after not only the issue that we've

6:06 seen with the with the latest situations on the dressing room

6:11 but apart from that the way of this Real Madrid how they've been

6:15 understanding on trying to use the message that they will receive from Xabi

6:19 Alonso from Arbeloa and the lack of probably respect that they had

6:23 in between them during the past few months that we saw not

6:26 only the the discipline into the pitch but also outside of the pitch.

6:30 So I think the bringing in a a manager like him it could help

6:32 on that side that situation and also

6:34 because of that history of knowing the club,

6:37 the history of being one of the best manager in the past.

6:40 I understand what Chris is talking about the future.

6:43 Yes, it's true that it's maybe not going to change the whole situation,

6:46 the structure and bringing 10 players because

6:49 he understand the situation of the club is

6:50 that economically or financially is not the the best

6:55 situation for Real Madrid at the moment.

6:56 So bringing a manager who can understand

6:58 that it can help to rebuild the situation

7:01 but definitely if you look around there is

7:03 not many managers who can bring that discipline back,

7:05 that respect earned from the players.

7:10 So so far Ali, it was it's not that that bad idea that we thought maybe

7:15 a couple weeks ago.

7:16 Let me just tell you this Luis,

7:18 you have made a terrible terrible and I mean terrible mistake

7:22 in listening to Shaka Hislop when it comes to Jose Mourinho.

7:26 See you don't know this.

7:27 You don't know this but when Shaka interviewed Jose

7:30 Mourinho a few years back he melted during the interview.

7:34 He melted.

7:36 He was so starstruck.

7:37 So if you ask Shaka Hislop about Jose

7:39 Mourinho he's always going TO TELL YOU YEAH, that's the right call, Real Madrid.

7:44 Good job, Florentino Pérez." point.

7:46 By whom?

7:47 By Shaka?

7:47 No, he has a good point.

7:49 It doesn't matter [laughter] if he is Shaka or who is saying it.

7:51 He has a good point bringing someone who can bring the discipline.

7:53 No, well, I'll I'll look, I'll For me,

7:57 this is going to be a spectacular car crash.

7:59 It is.

8:00 Now, it's going to be fun.

8:01 It's going to be interesting given the history

8:04 and what we know of José Mourinho.

8:05 José Mourinho by himself,

8:07 he's an interesting personality and an interesting interesting character

8:11 and he's going to give this a whole lot of spice.

8:14 But, this is not a locker room that is currently

8:16 set up to succeed in the long term under José Mourinho.

8:21 So, this may be a short-term solution to just

8:23 kind of keep things together for a little while,

8:26 but if this club is to take their position

8:28 among the elite clubs in the world on the field,

8:32 they're going to have to make more changes than

8:34 just the manager and they're going to have to look

8:36 into the future as to what this club is going

8:38 to look like under a different manager than José Mourinho.

8:41 So, once again, let me just reiterate, Luis,

8:44 when it comes to José Mourinho, do not listen to Shaka Hislop.

8:48 Well, it's not Well, it's not just Ali José Mourinho.

8:51 Just It's a It's a Real Madrid uh There's a Real

8:54 Madrid theme here because when Gareth Bale came into the studio,

8:58 former Real Madrid player, uh a few months ago,

9:00 I I wasn't actually there at the time.

9:02 I was at Thank God because I needed a sick bag, I was told.

9:05 He fawned over him.

9:07 He fawned over him around the studio saying, "Gareth, Gareth,

9:10 can I have a photo?" What's wrong with you,

9:14 We have some football to discuss here.

9:15 No, do you know what?

9:16 I just want to say quickly, [laughter]

9:18 what what what what did what did To be fair,

9:21 me Ali and I are not the sort of fawning over people kind of type, you know.

9:25 So, if you want to do that, Shaka, that's that's your own business.

9:27 What did Real Madrid fans be And I get this.

9:30 Listen, I agree with Ali.

9:31 I think it would be for people that cover La Liga like us, it will be fun.

9:36 It will never probably be dull because Mourinho's in town

9:39 and sparks normally fly and I that's I get that.

9:42 I think for us it will be great and the TV

9:44 and the cameras and everybody you know all that stuff.

9:47 Uh but even if there's some sort of short-term solution,

9:52 what did Real Madrid fans what were

9:55 the two things they bemoaned this season the most?

9:59 A results which are ultimately the most important thing,

10:03 but B they bemoaned and they booed and they whistled about performance.

10:09 Right?

10:11 Do you think a Jose Mourinho appointment

10:14 is going to do anything for performance?

10:17 For entertainment?

10:19 It's going to go the other way.

10:21 So that puts even more pressure on results because we know the type

10:25 of football that Mourinho wants to play

10:28 or tries to play particularly these days.

10:31 Uh so that's for that reason I'm I'm like yeah, for us great.

10:35 I'll sit here and watch this part the the fireworks and the sparks go off.

10:38 That's fine.

10:40 But if you're a Real Madrid fan and you want

10:42 to see something better on the field as well as results,

10:45 is this going to bring it?

10:47 I think history would tell you no.

10:49 It's not the way he plays the game.

10:52 But back when he was at the club,

10:55 they were playing an exciting but I'll be his brand of football.

10:58 Of course he had the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema back then.

11:02 But the fans if they're winning Well he went to Inter Milan.

11:05 He won the Champions League with the big Bayern Munich final.

11:07 He needs to go back to basics though

11:08 to actually just start getting the results to begin with.

11:11 Real Madrid need to figure out the bad apples

11:13 in the dressing room and eventually get them out.

11:16 If you don't want to be working hard and pulling your weight

11:20 and agreeing to do what a coach wants you to do,

11:24 that you're not going to be at the football club.

11:27 Listen to what Ousmane Dembele,

11:28 the Ballon d'Or winner from last year said in the last

11:31 couple of weeks ahead of their uh momentous victory over Bayern Munich.

11:36 "It's crystal clear," he said, "under this manager,

11:39 Luis Enrique, that if you don't run,

11:41 you're out the team." That's very simplistic,

11:45 but it's very easy to understand as a player.

11:48 If I don't work hard enough, I'm not in this team.

11:51 There will be consequences.

11:53 A lot of Real Madrid players don't understand that sort of connotation.

11:58 They don't.

11:58 It's what That's not That's We do it.

12:01 I'm sorry.

12:02 Run?

12:03 We run when we want to run.

12:04 And I'm not Not everybody, but you know,

12:06 some of the big ones, we run when we want to run.

12:08 We press when we want to press.

12:10 And that's not how the best teams operate these days.

12:14 It's not.

12:14 It's not how Liverpool was successful.

12:16 It's not how PSG are successful.

12:18 It's not how Bayern have had a great

12:19 season in terms of domestically up until PSG.

12:22 They work together.

12:23 All these teams work together.

12:25 Real Madrid uh clearly do not.

12:38 [music]