Mourinho Is Back at Real Madrid. Should Barcelona Be Smiling?

José Mourinho is back at Real Madrid. And as a Barcelona fan, I should probably be worried but I'm not. I'm thrilled.

Florentino Pérez, fresh off a messy re-election, looked at his beloved club and didn’t like what he sees. Let's be honest, I won’t be happy too. Real Madrid finished two straight seasons without a trophy.

For Madridistas, it could be the beginning of something special. Because this could go brilliantly Or it could go spectacularly wrong. And that’s what makes it so fascinating. Mourinho is a great manager. Nobody can rewrite his history. He has won everywhere. For us Culers, the 2011-12 season, the hundred points, the season he finally broke Pep's Barça, Man is capable of the unthinkable. He has handled some of football’s biggest personalities, biggest egos and biggest pressures. He knows how to build a team that hates losing. He knows how to win ugly. And if he has to win a Champions League knockout match 1-0, retreat into his own half and defend for 89 minutes, Mourinho won’t lose a second of sleep. Pragmatism over aesthetics. Results over applause. Winning over entertainment. That’s Mourinho so the question isn’t whether José Mourinho is good enough to coach Real Madrid. But there’s one tiny problem, Football has changed. The players have changed. The dressing room has changed. The fans have changed.

So For Madridistas, The uncomfortable Question you need to ask is: Is Mourinho good enough for THIS Real Madrid?

Because the Madrid fans don’t just want the trophy. They also want,

The Big Nights. The Goals. The Madness The Skills. They want to make Statements with the scoreline every week. They want the Bernabéu bouncing. But Mourinho just wants the Result. Face it. Mourinho has never been a manager who gives everyone a hug and tells them they’re wonderful. He demands. He challenges. He confronts. And if a player crosses him? That player may find himself on the bench. If he believes a superstar is putting himself above the team? Mourinho will have a problem with it. And if Mourinho has a problem with somebody…the world usually finds out. That’s the part that should make Madrid fans think. Because today’s footballers are different. The modern superstar has influence Mourinho couldn’t have imagined when he first conquered European football. Players have enormous social-media audiences. Huge commercial profiles. Powerful entourages. And very little patience for being publicly humiliated. So imagine Mourinho falling out with one. Just one. Not the entire dressing room. Just one important player. Then the media gets a hint. Then questions start. And suddenly… Real Madrid have a football story that isn’t about football anymore. That is where this appointment could become explosive. Because Mourinho doesn’t do quiet football. If he feels the media is against him, he won’t hide. If he thinks a referee has wronged his team, he’ll say it. If the board frustrates him, they’ll hear about it.

But of course, when Mourinho is winning, all of that looks like charisma, like AURA!! Because that’s the GAMBLE and also that’s where it gets INTERESTING!!

A Mourinho who has his players, his tactics and the Bernabéu behind him is a very different animal.

And as a CULER, that’s when popcorn goes back into the cupboard. As Barcelona fans, we shouldn’t celebrate Mourinho’s arrival just yet.

Rather we should watch Very carefully. Because Barcelona doesn’t need Madrid to collapse. They need Madrid to wobble. One bad month. One dressing-room problem. One unhappy superstar. One tactical argument. One Mourinho press conference that becomes bigger than the match itself. That’s all it takes for the pressure to begin. And if that pressure arrives? Barcelona will be there, Waiting.

But then, we are about to find out whether Mourinho’s return is a blessing for Madrid or a gift for Barça.

That’s why I can’t wait for the first big match. The CLASSICO

Not because we know what will happen.

But because we don’t.

The first controversial substitution. The first unhappy player. The first whistle from the Bernabéu. The first Mourinho press conference after a Classico defeat. That’s when the story really begins. So, Madridistas… Enjoy José. Believe in José. Back José. But remember: You didn’t just bring back a manager. You brought back José Mourinho.

As a Barça fan, I'll say what I actually think: I'm happy to watch this from a safe distance, popcorn in hand, hoping it goes exactly as chaotically as it might. Let Mourinho and Madrid sort it out.

We might be in for one hell of a season.