A Review of Real Madrid's Season Heading into the International Break

As you will all know by now, the final international break of 2026 is upon us, and Real Madrid are going into it in a proverbial good moment.

The team have won their last eight games in a row, and have won, 12 of the last 13, and for the whole season, it is 14 wins from 16.

So, with the break now here, let’s take a quick look at the season so far.

When Jose Mourinho was reappointed manager of Real Madrid, 13 years after leaving, there was some nostalgic excitement, but more so there was skepticism and angst. It had been a while since the boss was at the top of the game.

However, so far, the 63-year old has done very well. As touched on there, the team have won 14 of their 16 games so far. A loss to Real Betis where the team had enough chances to win two or three games, and to Atletico Madrid where a couple of red card decisions were fatal, are the only blots on the 26/27 copybook. So two games that most certainly could have gone either way, especially Betis.

After Barcelona defeated Atletico 2-1 away from home on Sunday night, Mourinho’s men are now up to second in La Liga, three points off Hansi Flick’s side. Truth be told, a home win would have been better in the long term, considering they are less likely to be a title threat come May, but it is still handy to be up to second in the league.

Heading into the previous international break, Real Madrid were below both Betis and Atletico following the defeats, but have now usurped both. Now it is just Barcelona to knock off top spot. Easier said than done, but one step at a time.

In the UEFA Champions League, it is a perfect four wins from four, even if the performances have not been perfect themselves. There was definitely some fortune in the wins over Mourinho’s former Italian sides Inter Milan and AS Roma, and perhaps at AEK Athens too. Though the win at home to RB Leipzig was pretty comprehensive generally.

The team are currently second in the league phase, only behind PSG on goal difference. It is said that 16 points — so five wins and a draw — should be enough for top eight, so things are looking very good at the midway point.

During the first two seasons of the league phase format, Los Blancos have needed the play-offs both times, adding an unnecessary two extra games to the calendar. So, avoiding that this year will be very important for Real Madrid, as they attempt to compete on all fronts.

Ultimately, Mourinho has found a very balanced system, and we near enough know the best XI. The front four of Arda Guler, Jude Bellingham, Yan Diomande and Kylian Mbappe looks perfectly balanced with profiles that complement each other perfectly. 

Aside from working in tandem together, all four have been superb individually. Mbappe is the top scorer in La Liga, Guler is playing a more prominent role than ever, Bellingham is back to his ruthless best in the final third, and Diomande has settled in very well with goals and assists in recent weeks.

The elephant in the room then becomes the situation with Vinicius Jr. The 26-year old signed a bumper new contract in the summer, but has had a very poor start to the season, and received a four game domestic ban for his red card against Villarreal last month.

Well, that suspension is now over, and he will be back available for the clash with Celta Vigo after the break. In the meantime, his Champions League performances have been poor, and very few Real Madrid fans want him back in the La Liga lineup.

So, we will see what Mourinho does, but fans are in love with the Guler-Bellingham-Diomande-Mbappe front four. The creativity, box crashing, dribbling and pace that are provided with those players, is too much to resist.

Then, the settled back four looks like Federico Valverde, Ibrahima Konate, Dean Huijsen and Marc Cucurella (plus Thibaut Courtois in goal). Alvaro Carreras has impressed this season, but that feels the first choice back line.

The only part of the team perhaps not set in stone is the double pivot. It looks like Aurelien Tchouameni and Bernardo Silva could be the preferred pairing, but Eduardo Camavinga has looked good this season, and played a huge part in the Clasico victory. But we are close enough to knowing the best XI— just depends on if Mourinho tries to force Vinicius back in or not.

Overall, a very good start to the season, certainly better than many expected. But as a lot of people in Real Madrid will say, you’re first or you’re nothing. So there is still work to be done after the break, where there will be four uninterrupted months or club football before the next international break in March. Let’s see.