Real Madrid makes its debut in the 2026-27 Champions League this Tuesday against Inter Milan, a high-level rival that José Mourinho led to the Champions League title just before taking charge of the Madrid club in his first stint at the Santiago Bernabéu. The confrontation represents an opportunity to evaluate the Portuguese coach's ability to manage the locker room after the first defeat of the season, suffered on Friday against Betis at La Cartuja.
The performance against Betis generated much discussion about Mourinho's management of substitutions. The coach again took off the best Madrid player up to that point, the Turkish player Arda Guler, which raised questions about his tactical decisions during the match.
Meanwhile, Vinícius Jr. remained on the field for most of the game without making an impact, being substituted only at 85 minutes. Kylian Mbappé experienced his worst performance since the start of the season, wasting clear opportunities, including a penalty in the final minutes of stoppage time.
