“The opposition were tough; they play a different style of football to what we’re used to,” Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho said after a dramatic 4-3 Champions League win at the Stadio Olimpico. That hard-fought European fixture underlined a quiet tactical shift in the Spanish capital, where Los Blancos have significantly sharpened their dead-ball execution under the Portuguese coach this season.

Real Madrid have converted seven goals from set-pieces across all competitions, according to reports in AS. That output contrasts with the 12 set-piece goals the team managed across the entirety of the previous campaign under Xabi Alonso and Alvaro Arbeloa. The resurgence became starkly evident during the continental clash against AS Roma, where the visitors netted three goals from set-piece situations following three corners delivered by Güler.

Valdebebas Drills and Specialized Coaching Staff

Mourinho dedicates several hours every week at Valdebebas to meticulous set-piece preparation. Players receive tactical briefings on these routines during the final training session before every match. While major fixtures receive intense scrutiny because such encounters hinge on microscopic margins, the daily groundwork is distributed among a specialized coaching staff operating under Mourinho’s direct supervision.

Pedro Machado oversees offensive set-piece work at the training ground, collaborating closely with João Tralhão—a partnership that began during Mourinho’s tenure at Fenerbahçe before moving to Benfica and subsequently Real Madrid. On the defensive side, Sami Khedira coordinates the team’s organization against opposition dead balls. Mourinho retains the final say on every implemented plan, a collaborative structure that mirrors the collective spirit he displayed when leaping from the bench to embrace his staff after Jude Bellingham headed home an early Güler free-kick against Espanyol.

Arda Güler Pulls the Strings as Designated Deliverer

When healthy and on the pitch, Güler serves as Real Madrid’s primary set-piece taker, utilizing his left-foot delivery to initiate attacks. Supporting him in dead-ball duties are Bernardo Silva, Trent Alexander-Arnold, and occasionally Diomande. Of the club’s current set-piece goals, four have come in La Liga—including three free-kicks and one corner—while the remaining three arrived during the European night in Rome, alongside two other goals from set-pieces after Bernardo Silva delivered a corner and a free-kick, resulting in strikes from Antonio Rüdiger and Kylian Mbappé.

Tactical Adjustments and Vinicius Jr. Friction in Rome

The 4-3 victory over AS Roma exposed initial defensive vulnerabilities before Mourinho engineered a second-half turnaround. Confronted by Gian Piero Gasperini’s aggressive approach and Soulé’s movement in the first half, Mourinho shouldered the blame for the tactical mismatch before shifting Vinicius Jr. to the opposite flank and neutralizing Wesley through defensive adjustments.

“The first half was my fault. Or Gasperini’s fault. He put Soule in there and Wesley really ran rings round us with loads of two-on-ones,” Mourinho told after the match, explaining why he substituted the Brazilian winger later in the contest. “It’s normal for him not to be happy. If he does what so many others do—throwing the water bottle—I don’t like that.”

Real Madrid returns to competitive action on the domestic and European schedules as Mourinho continues to refine his squad’s balance between high-intensity opposition and set-piece efficiency.