In two of Real Madrid's last three Champions League games, they have had to make an incredible comeback for one reason or the other.
In the game against Roma, Real Madrid simply were not good enough in the first half, and until the substitutions were made, they were playing like they were about to lose the game. However, they stuck through it. They continued to work hard in the attack and were ultimately able to win the game through some moments of brilliance from their substitutes.
Against AEK Athens, it was a bit different because, even though some of the substitutes made an impact this time as well, Real Madrid did not play as badly as they did against Roma. They still looked unimpressive in some aspects of the game, but it is worth noting that they still had to fight and persevere through yet another comeback, which is a big ask on the mentality side.
In the last couple of years, whenever Real Madrid went behind, they looked like they had lost all hope of winning the game, and more often than not, they were not able to mount a comeback. That had become such a regular occurrence at the club in the years prior. If you look at the 2021-22 season as well as the 2023-24 season, Real Madrid were making a comeback almost every other big game, and it just looked incredible.
Real Madrid look much more composed and comfortable while on a deficit
In the last two years, though, it seems like Real Madrid have lost some of those things psychologically. It seems like there was a mental block that they could no longer come back when they go behind. However, under Mourinho now, it seems like that is changing. Real Madrid look more assertive and dominant whenever they go behind. They don't lose all of their control of the game, and it actually works much better than it used to.
A lot of the credit obviously will go to Mourinho, who is slowly but surely changing the team, but the players have to also accept his demands and asks, which they are. They deserve their credit as well. Real Madrid persevered through yet another comeback, even though it is not a very comfortable watch for Real Madrid fans - they would rather win comfortably than win this way.
It also shows that the mentality is slowly changing, and it will only be a matter of time until they're able to get to the level Mourinho wants them to be. There are still a lot of things that Mourinho needs to fix with this Real Madrid side, but it is a good work in progress.
There will be games where they will not be able to make these comebacks happen, but that is fine as long as they try their hardest to, which seems to be the case at the moment.
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