Carragher’s verdict landed on CBS Sports after Real Madrid had needed three goals in seven late minutes to beat Roma on Mourinho’s first return to the club he managed from 2021 to 2024.
“We know Jose Mourinho is a properly structured, organised coach. You see that throughout his career,” Carragher said. “But even he can’t be that at Real Madrid.”
The Liverpool legend’s broader point was that the Bernabeu job forces its head coaches to abandon their own tactical identity.
“I think it’s difficult for almost any manager to go to Real Madrid and be themselves. They almost have to play the game of being a Real Madrid coach.”
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“And it just feels like, even in these early weeks of the season, he’s hanging on by his fingernails, or they’re getting last-minute goals, comebacks. They don’t look convincing at all, really.”
Three corners in seven minutes
Marten de Roon’s 20th-minute opener and a Donyell Malen brace left Roma 3-1 up with time running out at the Stadio Olimpico, before Carlos Espí, Endrick and Antonio Rüdiger struck in the final seven minutes, all from corners, to flip the night.
Kylian Mbappé’s first-half equaliser kept Madrid in the game. The three late set-piece goals rescued it. That the win came from corners rather than control is why Carragher reached for the word “fingernails”.
Vinicius will miss the Clasico
Hours before kick-off in Rome, Spain’s competition committee confirmed a four-match LaLiga ban for Vinicius Junior after his red card in the 1-0 win over Villarreal: two matches for violent conduct over a hair-pulling incident on Nathan Saliba, and two more for his protests at referee Isidro Diaz de Mera.
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The suspension rules the Brazilian out of the trip to Barcelona on October 25, as well as league fixtures against Sevilla, Racing Santander and Valencia. He remains available in the Champions League.
“Barely holding themselves together”
Carragher argued that a defeat at the Spotify Camp Nou could effectively settle the title race before November, with Real Madrid searching for their first major trophy since December 2024.
“They are barely holding themselves together. They could well lose to Barcelona and then lose the La Liga title,” he said on the same panel.
Barcelona host Real Madrid in the first Clasico of the season at 9pm local time on Sunday, October 25.
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