"I feel more free to decide when to drop back, when to stay up or when to get into the box," Jude Bellingham said as Real Madrid tried to explain their early-season surge. Jose Mourinho has pushed him into a more advanced role, mainly as a number 10 in a 4-2-3-1, and the England midfielder is backing that shift with two goals and three assists in three La Liga appearances.
Mourinho's role change for Bellingham
The change is simple to see on the pitch. Mourinho has said Bellingham sometimes defended like a second left-back last season and that he made a deal with him to stop that. He also made clear where he wants him now: close to goal, with a better link to the forwards and less of the heavy defensive work that pulled him deeper before.
Bellingham's own wording fits that picture. He said he can now choose when to drop back, when to stay high and when to attack the box, while Mourinho said, "We've organised the team differently." That has been paired with a quicker attacking return than Madrid were getting from him at the start of the campaign.
Madrid's early return
Real Madrid have won three games from three under Mourinho's early-season start, and the team totals have been tidy as well, with 10 scored and two conceded. Bellingham sits at the centre of that start because he is arriving in the box more often and carrying less of the defensive load that Mourinho says blunted him before.
Mourinho's praise has gone beyond the goals and assists too. Speaking to the BBC, he said: "His mental strength, tactical ability, the way he recovers the ball, the way he pressures, the way he plays up front, I am very happy." That is the part that should encourage Madrid most. Bellingham is not only getting closer to goal, he is doing it inside a team that has started cleanly and looks set up to keep feeding him chances.
Bellingham's first three league games have been enough to show the shape of the role change. Madrid now face the task of keeping that balance over a longer stretch, but the early signs are clear enough: a freer Bellingham, more direct output, and a manager who has put him where he can hurt teams faster.
Written by Daniel Hartley with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
