Jose Mourinho's Five Tactical Concerns

Jose Mourinho

Jose Mourinho has seen his side pick up just four points from their opening four league games and will need to make adjustments to get the best out of his struggling side.

Their start has been nothing short of disastrous. Defeat to Sevilla at the Sanchez Pizjuan means Real Madrid have picked up just four points from as many games in La Liga. It is their poorest start for a number of years and the worst ever in the coaching career of Jose Mourinho.

The Portuguese coach has blamed Madrid's malaise on poor attitude and a lack of commitment from his players, but his side showed several tactical flaws in Seville on Saturday against an Andalusian side set up to stifle the capital club.

Food for thought for Mourinho, then, ahead of Tuesday night's Champions League group game at home to Manchester City, when the 49-year-old may make several changes. Goal.com takes a look at what will be on Mou's mind in the build-up to that clash at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Meanwhile, Madrid struggled at set pieces last season and the problem appears to have worsened in the current campaign. Three of the four league goals conceded have come from dead-ball situations and Mourinho is at a loss to explain why his side have been so inept at defending free kicks and corners.

The Portuguese claims to have spent hours in training on dealing with such situations and has revealed that messages and diagrams hang on the dressing room wall, reminding players of their responsibilities. 

Nevertheless, it isn't working and a team of Madrid's calibre shouldn't be conceding goals in this manner. On Saturday, Angel Di Maria was the culprit as he failed to track Piotr Trochowski from a corner, but Sevilla could have done even more damage and Mourinho needs to go back to the drawing board to ensure such lapses are avoided in future

 

Source: Goal.com