Real Madrid: How Jose Mourinho Has Made His Side Stronger This Season

The defeat for Real Madrid in last weekend's Clasico may have been difficult to accept—it was perhaps the most frustrating defeat of all previous Clasicos; that was the confidence of Jose Mourinho's men heading into the game.

But in spite of the damaging defeat to Barcelona, Jose Mourinho has greatly improved this Real Madrid side since the 5-0 humiliation at the Nou Camp.

However, it is important to note, the game against Barcelona should not be used as the primary example to measure how much Madrid have improved. Their attempts to bridge the gap with Barcelona have not been in vain, as there are a number of positives to take from all their league and Champions League outings this season. The most important and influential win was the thrilling away victory at Valencia.

What is interesting, first and foremost, is the manner in which Mourinho has presented himself to the media and public.

Rather than taking on the aggressive, "us against the world" manner which dominated much of his press conferences last year—and which had a negative influence on his side's performances—he has chosen to remain far from controversy and instead to focus on what his side can do to push on.

Leading up to the Clasico, he preferred to avoid all questions related to his side and Barcelona. So much so that the press conference ahead of the game at the Bernabeu was taken by his assistant, Aitor Karanka.

Not only did Mourinho want to prove that Pep Guardiola wasn't in his head, but he also understood that a different approach was needed to ensure his side were properly focused on the entire league campaign and not just Barcelona.

As well as this, we've seen a Madrid that are a far more collective unit, rather than one that relies solely on Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese is Real Madrid's leading scorer so far this season, but that does not take away from the outstanding contributions of both Karim Benzema and Gonzalo Higuain.

The rotation of both strikers has left both men feeling fresh, energized and willing to put in the mileage to ensure they take the starting spot in the next game.

Jose Mourinho managing to bring out the best in Karim Benzema should be noted. The Frenchman's struggles to regain the form that saw him excel almost effortlessly at Lyon have been completely eradicated, and with it, all talk of a premature exit from the Bernabeu.

The attacking left-back Marcelo, despite his flaws defensively, has been greatly encouraged to contribute in the attacking phases of Madrid's play. An excellent athlete whose ability in the attacking third has helped Madrid keep possession in their opponent's half and provide an extra body from which to counter-attack.

The Brazilian has been given a role and a purpose in the squad, one that works to his strengths and looks to counteract the obvious defensive deficiencies to his game. This, as well as the re-introduction of Lassana Diarra and the return to form of Angel Di Maria, have greatly improved Real Madrid's fortunes on the pitch.

Most telling, however, has been the shuffling of the back four and the shift from right-back into central defence for Sergio Ramos. This was initially not the Spaniard's favoured position, but his inclusion at the heart of defence has meant for a far more stable back line.

The pairing of Carvalho and Pepe, regardless of their experience, were slow and prone to errors. What Ramos brings is the ability for the defence to push further up the pitch and not worry about getting caught out by quick forwards in the opposing team.

In turn, Madrid will see much more of the game played out in the opposition half, not allowing other teams to escape and initiate counter-attacks.

Interestingly, and against his experience, Jose Mourinho has been advised this by his most senior players in the squad. The Madrid manager's idea for success on the pitch revolves around dropping deeper and not gifting opponents the required space to advance through on goal.

Of course, this plays into his philosophy of counter-attacking football—something no other team do as well as Madrid.

But impressively, Mourinho has given in to the demands of the players to push further up and win the ball back higher up the pitch. The strength of Ramos in the centre of defence obviously allows for this, not to mention his ability to bring the ball out of defence himself and initiate the attack.

In the long run it could be down to convincing Ramos that his rightful place is at centre-back, rather than taking up his old position on the right flank.

The improvement of Real Madrid this season has been telling. A side who no longer seem to be troubled by the "lesser" teams in La Liga and who, for much of the weeks leading to last weekend's Clasico, looked the superior side.

The damage of the recent Clasico might not be as great as Barcelona might hope; Real Madrid's dominance over other teams on the pitch will continue and it may well be their ability to put those sides to the sword that sees them through to the title.