Real Madrid's performance against Sevilla wasn't anything that is not expected from a club of Real Madrid's stature. Obviously, playing the way they played is supposed to happen more often than not, but it hasn't.

In the last few months, Real Madrid have solely relied on boring football, along with some moments of brilliance, to take them over the line. In fact, there are not many performances, at the top of the author's head, that were truly great in the last seven months. 

There have been some performances which started well but ended off really abruptly. There have been some other ones which weren't good at all but ended up getting the result, which is what mattered most.

Real Madrid haven't had a performance this complete since March

In fact, the last time Real Madrid truly looked like a team was last season under Alvaro Arbeloa, when they beat Manchester City and Atletico Madrid in consecutive weeks. That was back in March of 2026. Real Madrid came off with a 3-0 win against Man City before going to the Etihad and beating them 2-1, while also beating Atletico straight after in a 3-2 win at the Bernabeu.

After that, their season derailed because of the Bayern loss, and soon after, Arbeloa was relieved of his duties as manager. There have been some games where Real Madrid looked good under Mourinho, but again, those games were also more about the fact that it was moments of brilliance from some of their players that got them to a bigger scoreline than their teamwork actually deserved. Against Sevilla for the first time in so long, that was not the case. 

Yes, the Real Madrid superstars were in fine form on the night, but it wasn't just that. The team cohesively played a brand of football that was difficult to beat. Every player had a role, and they showcased their best abilities in that role, which was very nice to watch. Players were profiled well, and their midfield looked like a midfield again. Their attack was more dominant than it has been in recent times, and their defence was proactive with their approach.

This is what Real Madrid have needed for a very long time, and hopefully, this is a blueprint that Mourinho continues with for the foreseeable future. If it does not work in the future, obviously Mourinho will have the tools to change it, but until then, this is the way to go.