AS: Mourinho Needs an Iron Hand, Not 'Immunity' for Superstars

AS's commentary points out that Vinicius, Bellingham and Mbappe should be Mourinho's undisputed starters, but it is concerning if being 'untouchable' becomes a permanent status.

In the classic film The Untouchables, Kevin Costner plays a federal agent who, guided by Jim Malone, once asks a difficult question: how far are you willing to go to achieve your goal? Without that much drama and without involving life or death, allow me to pose this question to Mourinho: how long does he plan to keep those 'untouchable' and protected players on the pitch? Telling star players that they will be substituted has never been easy. But right now, it appears equally difficult to take them off when the match situation is not going well. Vinicius, Bellingham and Mbappe are only replaced when the outcome is already decided in the final moments or when they themselves ask to come off due to exhaustion. As Ancelotti once said: 'If you are tired, raise your hand.' However, nobody raised their hand.

People initially believed that when Mourinho returned, his authority and willingness to make decisions when dealing with star players — the aspect that caused Xabi Alonso to pay a price for it — would be valued more than his recent coaching record on the bench. In a dressing room that requires firm management, that authority has not yet been reflected in specific sporting decisions. When a real decision needs to be made, Guler remains the player most likely to be rotated or substituted, despite using his performances to give everyone a football lesson. At La Cartuja Stadium in Seville, Real Madrid had excuses, but without the Turkish player, Real Madrid's attack went quiet.

Talent, status and leadership mean that the three core players must be Mourinho's 'ace unit', but the problem is that when being 'untouchable' no longer comes from performance and instead becomes a permanent condition, trust becomes mixed with immunity. This sends a signal that rewards are not being based on performance and could affect the entire team. An early substitution should not be interpreted as punishment. If the team does not want to repeat the mistakes that kept it away from championships, the value of the collective must come before individuals.