Mourinho's return to Real Madrid this summer was met with enormous expectations, but the Portuguese coach is already facing a very different challenge. Despite winning three trophies during his first spell at the club, Mourinho is now struggling to restore stability and success after two trophyless seasons. The derby defeat at Atletico Madrid was a sobering reminder of the scale of the challenge he has taken on.
One of the major concerns for Mourinho is the lack of control in midfield. The pairing of Aurelien Tchouameni and Federico Valverde gave Madrid energy and defensive security, but they struggled to control the tempo or create enough from deeper areas. This presents Mourinho with an interesting selection decision, as he needs to find a way for Real to have more control of matches.
Mourinho has three players, in Vinicius Jr, Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham, capable of deciding matches on their own. However, he needs to ensure the trio complement rather than crowd each other. Vinicius needs to rediscover the explosiveness and directness that makes him so difficult to defend, while Mbappe needs a greater supply of chances rather than being asked to create opportunities for himself.
Real Madrid do not play again until they host Villarreal on Saturday, 10 October, and travel to Barcelona two weeks later. Mourinho has plenty of time to consider his options during an unusually long three-week international break.