Real Madrid: 8 Things Jose Mourinho Must Do Next Season to Beat Barcelona

For his first season at Real Madrid, Jose Mourinho didn't do too badly.

He won the Copa Del Rey and got Real Madrid past the Round of 16 in the Champions League for the first time since the 2003/04 season.

In fact, had Pepe not been controversially been sent off vs. Barcelona in the first leg of their Champions League tie, many believe that Real Madrid would've gone on to win the game and beat Manchester United in the Champions League final.

In the league, Real Madrid finished second with an impressive 92 points on 29 wins, 5 draws, and 4 losses. That point total would've been good enough to win Serie A or the English Premier League by a margin of 10 or 12 points, respectively.

But with Mourinho's first season done and in the books, much more will be expected of him going into his second season.

Real Madrid fans the world over will be hoping he can replicate the success he had with Inter in his second season with the club, and bring them league and European glory over eternal rivals Barcelona.

For that to happen, Mourinho will have to work out the bugs and issues that arose with his squad over the season, as he tries to get as close to football perfection as possible and ensure success over Barcelona.

Over the next eight slides, we outline the steps Mourinho must take in order to accomplish this ambitious goal.

Avoid Overcrowding

With TV income at an all-time high for Barcelona and Real Madrid, both teams have stopped thinking about bringing in players that fit the tactical scheme of their teams, and are more focused on simply bringing in the best players they can find on the market.

Barcelona are currently on the verge of signing both Alexis Sanchez and Fabregas, two players who will not be coming in to fix problem positions or improve Barcelona's starting lineup, but will provide Pep Guardiola with a regular selection headache and the unenviable task of trying to keep his batch of superstars happy and in top form.

And Real Madrid seemed certain to go down the same path with Brazilian prodigy Neymar, before he and Santos pulled a 180 and decided they would not part company for the foreseeable future.

Had Neymar joined the Madrid squad, there would be hardly any space for him to play, and the Brazilian superstar would likely spent a good amount of time rotting on the bench. I discuss this topic further here.

If Mourinho wants to get the most out of his players and his squad, it is of the utmost importance that he not overload his squad with talented players in the same manner that Barcelona currently are doing.

Real Madrid fans are accustomed to saying "you can never have too much talent." Indeed, those who lived through the Galacticos era are likely to have faith in the philosophy that money can solve all football problems, and that you can never have too many good players.

The truth, however, is that you can. When you have multiple great, talented players playing in one position, which will likely be the case for Barca with Fabregas, Xavi, and Alcantara next season, one player will generally be favored over the rest, and if the rest don't get enough playing time, discontent will start to appear in their play and attitude in the locker room.

Once this begins to happen, it can spread like cancer to the rest of the team, and success becomes virtually impossible.

As I discuss in this article, this happened before with Ibrahimovic in 2009-10 (in slightly different circumstances though).

It arguably happened with Chelsea strikers this past season, and has happened with clubs like Tottenham and Juventus too, both teams who recently have loaded up on forwards but as a result are never able to get the best out of them. 

To succeed, Mourinho must recruit intelligently; he must sign players who can help fix Real Madrid's weaknesses or represent a significant improvement to Real Madrid's current options in a particular position. 

Most importantly, he must resist the urge to simply go out and splash the cash for the biggest players in the market; otherwise, he could easily find his squad suffering from the negative effects of overcrowding. 

Pick a Competent Midfield Partner for Xabi Alonso

Although many people will disagree with me, I've always believed this spot to be the biggest weakness in Real Madrid's starting 11.

Whether it's been Sami Khedira, Lassana Diarra, or Esteban Granero starting alongside Xabi Alonso in the 4-2-3-1, I've never been fully convinced that Xabi Alonso's midfield partners have had much of an effect on the games they play. Especially against Barcelona, these midfield partners tend to go missing alongside Xabi Alonso.

This may possibly be Mourinho's biggest struggle next season: finding Xabi Alonso's ideal partner.

Personally, I believe that partner should be Pepe, as he provides a strong defensive presence in a very offensive midfield, but such a move would leave Khedira, Sahin, Diarra and Granero all on the bench regularly, and Mourinho may view that as a waste.

If Mourinho can choose the right midfielder to partner Xabi Alonso in the defensive midfield role, then the will go very far in fixing one of Real Madrid's biggest weaknesses, and greatly improve Real Madrid's chances of securing major silverware next season.

Decide on His Starting Full Backs

Last season, Real Madrid's fullbacks contributed to a defense that allowed only 33 goals in over 38 games, good for second in La Liga (not too hard to be second in La Liga when the third best team is 20 points behind you, though).

However, with Real Madrid's continued pursuit of both Maicon and Coentrao, it seems that Mourinho may see his current fullbacks as weaknesses to his team rather than strengths.

Thus, over the summer, Mourinho needs to settle the "Fullback Debates" once and for all, and decide on the left back and right back he believes will best lead Real Madrid to success in 2011-12.

There are many different options for Mourinho to consider here. He could decide to go with Marcelo and Maicon as the starting fullbacks, and move Ramos to the center of defense, where he has excelled on numerous occasions, and would represent a major upgrade over either Garay or Albiol.

He could also decide to purchase Coentrao, keep Ramos in his position, and make the two his starting fullbacks, with Marcelo dropping to the bench. This move might not make much sense since Marcelo has continued to improve offensively and defensively from season to season, but it is an option.

Arbeloa is also a fullback option for Mourinho to consider. He is generally believed to be a good backup whenever either Ramos or Marcelo are unavailable, but if Mourinho is unhappy with the play or Marcelo or wants to change Ramos' position, then Arbeloa is an option to fill in the gap left by either player.

And of course, Mourinho could just decide to leave things the way they are, with Marcelo and Ramos starting and no fullbacks coming into the squad.

Whatever Mourinho decides to do, he needs to decide ASAP, and stick with his decision. Mourinho already has excellent options at his disposal, and should not spend too much time chasing players that hardly represent improvements to his current options.

Select Real Madrid's Next Great Center Back Partnership

Moving from the full backs, Mourinho must decide what center back partnership he will select for Real Madrid going into the 2011-12 La Liga season.

In 2010-11, Mourinho stuck mostly with the Portuguese partnership of Pepe and Carvalho, and two center backs repaid his faith in them with strong and consistent performances at the back.

However, for various reasons, Mourinho may choose to breakup this partnership in the 2011-12 season.

First, towards the end of the season, Mourinho moved Pepe into a defensive midfielder role with the team, and in his new role, both Pepe and Real Madrid excelled.

Pepe almost single-handedly stifled the Barcelona offense, and proved to be a far more aggressive and effective defensive midfielder than Lassana Diarra or Sami Khedira.

Going into the new season, Mourinho may decide that Pepe is most beneficial to Real Madrid as a defensive midfielder rather than a center back.

Secondly, with Maicon looking increasingly likely to move to Real Madrid, Mourinho could very possibly decide to move Ramos to the center of defense, where he has excelled on multiple occasions in the past. 

Such a change would allow him to start both of his Brazilian fullbacks, and allow Pepe to move up to the defensive midfielder spot.

Thirdly, with Ricardo Carvalho recently turning 33 years old, its unlikely that he will be able to play the 48 games he played last season again this season.

Mourinho may thus decide to rotate the center back to prevent fatigue, or maybe even drop him out of the starting lineup and rely on him as an experienced backup center back.

My prediction (and hope) is that Mourinho will employ the following lineup, which would also be Real Madrid's strongest defensive lineup:

Iker Casillas

Maicon - Sergio Ramos - Ricardo Carvalho - Marcelo

Xabi Alonso - Pepe

Keep His Strikers Happy and Productive

Moving from the defensive side of the field to the offense, Mourinho must figure out how to best utilize his options in what is Real Madrid's second most problematic position: center forward.

Last season, Mourinho started the season with Higuain as his first choice striker, and Higuain did not disappoint, scoring seven goals in his first 12 games. However, following his 12th league game, Higuain was diagnosed with a herniated disc, and was forced to miss the majority of the season.

The injury allowed Karim Benzema to stake his claim for the starting spot. It took the French striker nine painfully long games to finally find the back of the net, but once he did, there was no looking back.

Benzema would score 14 goals over his next 15 league games to finish the season as one of the hottest strikers in Europe.

During the same time frame though, Emmanuel Adebayor was loaned in from Manchester City, and the striker also impressed for Real Madrid. In six league starts, the Togolese captain managed to find the net five times, and also put in a Man of the Match performance vs. Tottenham Hotspur in the quarterfinals of the Champions League with two brilliant headers that put the tie to rest.

By the end of the season, Mourinho had three strikers who impressed during different segments of the season, but no undisputed first-choice striker like Diego Milito at Inter or Didier Drogba at Chelsea.

Thus, this offseason, Mourinho has many difficult decisions to make.

First, he must decide whether to purchase Adebayor.

With Callejon brought in from Espanyol to be a backup winger or striker, Adebayor isn't really needed, but his height may prove useful in games vs. teams like Tottenham who are vulnerable at set pieces and lack tall central defenders.

Secondly, Mourinho must decide what to do with Benzema and Higuain. At the start of last season, Higuain was the undisputed starter and Benzema the backup, but Higuain's somewhat poor form since returning from injury, and Benzema's great form since the midway point of the season, must surely have Mourinho thinking about switching the priority order of his two best strikers.

The most important task for Mourinho will be keeping his strikers happy and productive. As long as Real Madrid are still getting goals on a regular basis from their No. 9 (Benzema ironically currently occupies the shirt number), it won't matter to Mourinho or Real Madrid fans what name is shooting up the goal-scoring charts.

Keep the Offense Flowing

This slide in a nutshell: More of the same.

Last year was a record year for all three of Real Madrid's attacking midfielders. Cristiano Ronaldo recorded 53 goals and 12 assists, becoming the first player in La Liga history to score more than 40 goals in a La Liga season, and winning the European Golden Shoe.

Mesut Ozil scored 10 goals and recorded 25 assists. Both numbers were career best, and Ozil's assist total was the highest of any European player that season.

Angel Di Maria scored nine goals and recorded 20 assists. The assist total was a career best, and included his assist for Ronaldo's goal vs Barcelona to win the Copa Del Rey.

In order for Jose Mourinho to succeed over Barcelona in the League and/or the Champions League this season, he'll need to get a similar output from his attacking midfielders next season.

To do that, he simply needs to allow Real Madrid to continue playing the attacking football it played towards the end of the season, and avoid tinkering too extensively with his lineup.

As I've said before: If it ain't broke, don't fix it. That cliche certainly applies to Real Madrid's goal-filled midfield.

Utilize His Bench Effectively

Many Real Madrid fans have looked on with confusion as Jose Mourinho has brought in many unknown names to the Bernabeu this summer. Hamit Altintop, Jose Callejon, and Raphael Varane aren't exactly names that are immediately recognized all over the world.

What these signings indicate however, is that Mourinho is working to having a more well rounded squad next season, and is looking to utilize his bench to reduce the stress on his starters and allow everyone in the Real Madrid squad more opportunities to prove their worth.

However, to utilize his bench effectively, Mourinho must be cautious not to overstock his team with options.

Jose Callejon and Hamit Altintop, with their versatility across the pitch, provide cover for effectively the entire midfield, as well as the right back and striker positions in case of a major injury crisis. But with their arrival, where does that leave Sergio Canales, Pedro Leon, Fernando Gago, and Lassana Diarra, just to name a few?

Raphael Varane provides Real Madrid with one of the brightest center back prospects in the world, and he should prove to be a solid backup this year behind Albiol, Carvalho, and Pepe/Ramos. But where does that leave Garay, who even in the most insignificant of games was left on the bench by Mourinho?

Contrary to popular belief, Mourinho's squad isn't really as overstocked as it seems. There are certainly much more overcrowded squads in the world at places like Tottenham, Chelsea, and Barcelona, and generally Mourinho finds ways to give all his players a run in the team.

However, with promising youngsters like Joselu and Morata coming through the youth system, Mourinho must start downsizing his squad a bit by selling the players who simply don't fit into the rotation, or at least sending them on loan.

Additionally, one player who Mourinho must work his hardest to keep is Kaka. The Brazilian showed vs Valencia last season that his talent is still there, and though I prefer Ozil in playmaker role, Kaka would give Real Madrid a spark off the bench that no team in the world can rival next season. 

Avoid Mind Games

Over Jose Mourinho's career, there's no doubt that he's excelled time and again at getting under his opponents' skin and causing them to lose their cool before a big game.

This skill is a big part of what makes Mourinho Mourinho, or as he likes to call himself, "The Special One." He draws his opponents into a war of words, keeps calm while his opponents get irritated, and almost always leaves with the last laugh.

And yet, last season, Mourinho's mind games with Pep Guardiola didn't quite follow the script.

Prior to the Champions League first leg tie vs Barcelona, Mourinho did succeed in getting on Pep Guardiola's nerves and causing him to lose his cool.

However, when Real Madrid lost 2-0 at home (largely due to the controversial dismissal of Pepe), all hell broke loose for Mourinho.

The coach claimed that the loss and dismissal of Pepe was part of a bigger conspiracy to help Barcelona win in Champions League consistently.

He went on to rule out any chance of a comeback from his team, and was slapped with a five-match touchline ban for Real Madrid's Champions League games, as well as a £44,000 fine, for his postmatch comments.

In the future, Mourinho should certainly not shy away from the press, and should be confident when speaking about his matches vs. Barcelona.

However, it might be better next time to avoid adding more controversy to the already controversial Clasicos, and remain respectful and straightforward with his comments.

That way, the importance of the matches isn't overstated, and Real Madrid are able to bounce back in the event that they do lose.

The End

That's it; if Mourinho can follow these eight instructions, then I have a great deal of faith that Real Madrid will be able to beat Barcelona next year to the La Liga or Champions' League crown.

Any instructions you think I forgot to mention? Any instructions you disagree with? Do you agree with my opinions on lineup selections, or do you believe I'm supporting the selection of the wrong players?

Make your opinion known by commenting in the comments section. I look forward to reading and hearing your opinions!