Real Madrid: The Formation Blunders Deployed by Jose Mourinho

One of the key areas of criticism aimed at Jose Mourinho during his time at Real Madrid are the shackles he has placed around the team's performances on the pitch through the use of unnecessary, damaging tactics.

Mourinho has done well for the most part to deploy a winning formula and tactics that suit his players, but the biggest worry has been his lack of—or perhaps too much—invention during Madrid's battles with Barcelona.

What can mostly be said for the way Madrid have played this season is very positive—glowing, in fact. The use of the 4-2-3-1 formation with everyone in the "correct" position has done nothing but wonders for Mourinho's side. They're playing attractive, productive football with a host of match-winners flooding the squad.

Angel Di Maria has found his form, his shooting boots and his position as an integral part of this team; and were it not for the rumoured behind-the-scenes politics at the club, he would be valued much greater than his wages suggest.

Kaka, likewise, has come in and had a very positive run in the side. Much in the same way, Sami Khedira's importance has really been telling in the past few weeks.

But enough of where Mourinho is getting it right—where is he getting it wrong?

How will history retell the many, many Clasicos that have taken place since the 5-0 thrashing at Camp Nou? Will it be that Barcelona dominated and managed to overcome a team who were relentless in their attempts to dethrone their enemies, or will it be seen as Mourinho gifting the game to Barcelona before the ball had even been kicked?

Mourinho has allowed controversy to enter and remain prominent in his side's rivalry with Barcelona since he took charge at the Bernabeu, and much of it has stemmed from his formation selections and the deployment of a "destroyer" in the midfield in the form of Pepe.

Whether it's the unattractive and, at times, dirty tactics, the lack of ingenuity toward and in front of goal, or the unrest from the fans, the problems can all be traced to Mourinho's misuse of the players he has available to him.

The tried-and-trusted and, in fact, often easy-on-the-eye performances and formations that were in use and successful against Sevilla, for example, in the league and in the Champions League this season were nowhere to be seen in the Clasicos.

Only until the most recent second-leg quarterfinal of the Copa del Rey were Madrid given license to play their own game.

Well why has it taken so long?

After much questioning and dressing room bust-ups between Mourinho and the senior Spanish players at the club, Mourinho finally decided to give in and stay true to what has given his side considerable daylight between them and second-placed Barcelona in the league.

The difference was that despite going two goals down in the game at Camp Nou, the second-half performance was the most assured, confident and threatening Madrid had been in the just-over-a-year since that game at Camp Nou. The entire game, actually, looked far more in favour of a Madrid victory than the eventual outcome.

The use of Pepe in the midfield, whether it be as a three or a two in the middle of park, has been detrimental to Madrid's game. The regular shuffling of the back-line to introduce Lassana Diarra and Hamit Altintop as full-backs have had no disastrous effect on the way Madrid have played. Similarly, the use of Fabio Coentrao alongside Xabi Alonso has shown the versatility of Jose Mourinho's squad.

It is something Barcelona have been praised for—using a small squad to effortlessly plug gaps where needed—and Mourinho has started doing the same with his side without altering their play too much.

But it really shouldn't have needed the numerous league and cup Clasicos to tell Mourinho that his side play better and can counter what Barcelona have to offer. Some may look to that fact that Pep Guardiola's side are experiencing a dip in form at the moment, thus favouring Madrid going into the most recent matches.

Yet the European and Spanish champions still managed to come out on top—perhaps due to the defeatist mentality the Real Madrid squad had from previous matches and the over-shuffling of the pack to produce a result that they maybe always had the answer to.