Evra backs Mourinho to win LaLiga after changes at Real Madrid

Patrice Evra believes Jose Mourinho can lead Real Madrid to the LaLiga title, while warning that the Portuguese coach must make changes at the Spanish club. Madrid have gone without the league championship for the past two seasons.

Evra’s assessment combines confidence in Mourinho’s record with a demand for improvement. The former Manchester United defender described Mourinho as a winner and said the coach’s work in the transfer market and the players brought to the club were aimed at competing for the title.

Mourinho has returned to Real Madrid on a three-year contract after the club worked under Carlo Ancelotti, Xabi Alonso and Alvaro Arbeloa during the two seasons in which they failed to win the Spanish top flight. His appointment places the league title among the central expectations of his new spell.

Evra said he had no doubt that adjustments were required at Madrid, but maintained that Mourinho possessed the winning mentality needed to deliver the championship. The former France international’s support comes before the coach takes charge of his first LaLiga campaign since the latest appointment.

Real Madrid will open their league season away to Espanyol on Saturday night. The match is scheduled for the RCDE Stadium, where Mourinho’s side will begin their attempt to end the club’s two-season wait for the Spanish top-flight title.

The fixture will provide the first competitive league setting for Mourinho’s new Madrid team. With the coach tied to the club for three years and Evra backing him to succeed, attention now turns to how quickly the changes identified by the former France defender appear on the pitch.