Mourinho calls for Bernabéu reset as Real Madrid prepare for home return

José Mourinho has called on Real Madrid and the Santiago Bernabéu to begin again together as he prepares for his first home match since returning to the club.

Madrid host Real Sociedad on Wednesday in their rearranged opening-round La Liga fixture, four days after beginning the campaign with a dramatic 2-1 victory away to Espanyol.

Mourinho’s side required a late Carlos Espí winner in Barcelona, and the Portuguese coach acknowledged that his team are still operating at uneven physical levels after a summer in which several players returned at different stages following the World Cup.

That makes the Bernabéu opener more than a ceremonial homecoming. Mourinho wants three points while continuing to build the intensity and collective mentality he believes will define his second spell in Madrid.

“The objective is to win,” Mourinho said on Tuesday, while stressing the need to respect a Real Sociedad side he described as having a clear identity and considerable individual quality.

The 63-year-old also shifted the focus away from his own reception. Rather than asking supporters to celebrate his return, Mourinho said he wants the Bernabéu to reconnect with the team after a difficult end to last season and recognise the commitment being shown by the current squad.

That relationship is particularly significant after Madrid’s turbulent previous campaign. Mourinho has repeatedly emphasised hunger, discipline and resilience since returning, and he wants those qualities to become visible enough for the home crowd to identify with the team again.

There remains a physical issue to manage. Mourinho admitted Espanyol were able to sustain an intensity Madrid could not yet match because their squad had enjoyed a longer and more conventional pre-season, while many of his players arrived later after international commitments.

Madrid nevertheless left the RCDE Stadium with three points, with Jude Bellingham scoring early and Espí deciding the contest in the closing moments.

The schedule offers little room for gradual adaptation. Real Sociedad are followed by another home match against Málaga on Sunday, giving Madrid three league fixtures in eight days at the start of the campaign.

For Mourinho, Wednesday is therefore both a homecoming and a test: the first opportunity to show the Bernabéu that the mentality he has demanded behind the scenes can already be recognised on the pitch.