Real Madrid’s 4-0 win over Málaga continued their strong start under José Mourinho, but the discussion on Cadena SER’s Carrusel Deportivo centered less on the result and more on the change in attitude since the Portuguese coach arrived.

Antonio Romero pointed to Jude Bellingham as one of the biggest beneficiaries.

“Mourinho has moved him closer to the box and the team is more balanced. One of the benefits of the team being more collective is that Bellingham plays closer to the box, makes more runs into it, presses more and, therefore, is more positive for the team.”

Jesús Gallego believes the biggest change has been collective commitment.

“Mourinho has managed to create a different overall attitude in the team. There is a level of commitment that wasn’t there last year. Mourinho has come here to bring order to the dressing room and that order is now in place. At Madrid you have to work. No matter who you are, you have to defend, apply yourself and be selfless for the rest of the team. That has been achieved very quickly.”

Bruno Alemany highlighted Mourinho’s authority as a fundamental difference compared to Xabi Alonso and Álvaro Arbeloa.

“There is a very big difference. I value what Xabi Alonso and Arbeloa did, but it is obvious that they don’t have Mourinho’s authority. He has seen it all, he has even won European Cups with Porto. He has nothing to lose if he is seen having a confrontation with Vinicius during a game because his career is already made.”

Romero also pointed to Madrid’s increased squad depth.

“This year, whoever falls asleep is out. There is also competition that wasn’t there before. Huijsen, who clearly went from more to less, had to start throughout the entire season because there was nobody else. This year, if you fall asleep…”

Alemany believes managing the workload of Madrid’s veterans could also become important as the season progresses.

“It is very important, and the same will happen at Barça with Rodri, to know how they will give Bernardo Silva rest. These are players who are no longer capable of starting 55 games. How they distribute the rest for those players could be very important. I wouldn’t rule out Valverde and Tchouaméni forming the double pivot in some games.”