Jose Mourinho implements brutal new Real Madrid fines policy after getting rid of ‘ridiculous’ old system

JOSE MOURINHO has wasted little time putting his stamp on Real Madrid, and his new disciplinary regime sounds about as forgiving as the man himself. The Portuguese boss has reportedly ripped up the club’s old system of handing out £85-£250 fines for lateness and replaced it with punishments that can hit players where it really hurts – their place in the team. Jose Mourinho is attempting to clean up the rules at Real Madrid by implementing strict methods Credit: Shutterstock Editorial Mourinho’s team have won three out of three so far, with Jude Bellingham in top form Credit: Getty According Spanish outlet Defensa Central, Mourinho has made punctuality, training, recovery and nutrition key parts of his new regime since taking charge. Players who arrive late to training outside the permitted window will reportedly be sent to the gym instead of joining the main session, and will then miss the following match. Sign up for the Football newsletter Thank you! His discipline first approach is hardly a surprise given who he’s up against. Mourinho has taken inspiration from now rival Hansi Flick, who introduced a strict lateness rule when he arrived at Barcelona two years ago, initially dropping late players to the bench for their next game if they arrived late. Flick changed that policy in February, replacing the bench punishment with huge fines for players who arrived late on match days. The German’s strict approach helped transform Barcelona’s mentality, with the Catalan giants winning the league in each of the past two seasons. Mourinho’s latest revolution doesn’t stop there. The Real boss has tightened the rules around injured stars, insisting recovery work must be carried out Valdebebas – the club’s training ground. Most read in Sport CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS Mourinho is taking a leaf out of rival Hansi Flick’s book in an attempt to topple the formidable and dominant force in Spain Credit: Reuters Mourinho has also reportedly also taken control of the squad’s eating habits, with players expected to follow the club’s nutritional instructions rather than simply choosing whatever they fancy. This is a rule implemented reminiscent of the approach Arsene Wenger took when at Arsenal. Barca’s recent dominance over Real has been particularly striking, with Barca winning six of the last seven Clasicos in all competitions – scoring 22 goals across those games. Mourinho will be hoping to reverse that trend, but first he has to fix problems closer to home. Real Madrid endured a turbulent campaign last season, with Xabi Alonso sacked midway through the campaign amid reports of player power issues involving stars including Kylian Mbappé and Vinicius Jr. Mourinho’s rules will be in part to deal with player power issues at the club Credit: Alamy Alvaro Arbeloa replaced him in January, but the problems continued into the second half of the campaign, with Madrid ultimately finishing the season without a trophy. It is an issue Mourinho knows all too well in Madrid. When he first took charge at Real in 2010, Barcelona had already won two successive league titles under Pep Guardiola and were the dominant force in Spain. The three-time Premier League winner has now revealed in his recent three-part Netflix documentary ‘Mourinho’ how quickly he realised there was a problem inside his new dressing room. Recalling his relationship with then-captain goalkeeper and captain Iker Casillas, he said: “The first thing he said to me was, ‘I’ve come to ask for more vacation time for the national team players’. “In the second he asked me to delay training by one hour because at the time I wanted to start the session there was a lot of traffic in Madrid. “In the third he told me they didn’t want to go to the hotel, that they preferred to meet on match day and go directly to the stadium. I realised they were spoiled.” The line about delaying training is particularly striking given Mourinho’s latest approach to punctuality. Cristiano Ronaldo inspired Real Madrid to the 2011/12 La Liga title under Mourinho Credit: Getty Images His first spell in Madrid eventually delivered the response he wanted, despite Barca winning the title in his opening campaign. In 2011/12, Mourinho’s Real side toppled Guardiola’s Barcelona to win La Liga with a record-breaking 100 points. They also smashed in 121 goals during the campaign – outscoring Barca who netted 114. Now, Mourinho will be hoping his old-school discipline can work the same magic for a second time – and this time, it appears the first battle is being fought long before the players even step onto the pitch. Comment now