Jose Mourinho is the betting favourite to become the next boss at Real Madrid, but could he survive a full season while also keeping the club’s star names together?Last season was a disappointing one as Xabi Alonso left midway through a campaign that would see Madrid go trophy-less for the first time since the 2020/21 season.A series of dressing room incidents and training ground bust-ups have hogged the headlines in recent weeks, adding to the sense that whoever takes over at the Bernabeu this summer will enter an extremely volatile situation.And talks have taken place over a return to the Spanish capital for 63-year-old Mourinho, who is Florentino Perez’s favoured candidate to replace Alvaro Arbeloa.Mourinho might not be the most obvious pick to quell such tumult, but Perez is seemingly counting on The Special One having the authority to command respect from Real Madrid’s big-name players.At his best, Mourinho has been a players’ coach. The sort of manager players will run through a brick wall for. That was certainly true of Mourinho at Chelsea, Inter Milan and Porto where he enjoyed the most success.More recently, though, Mourinho has struggled to strike the same understanding with his players.It has been over a decade since the Portuguese last won a league title. His reputation has shifted in that time, so will Real Madrid’s biggest names respect Mourinho any more than they did Arbeloa or Alonso?Mourinho is 5/4 with Betfair to win the La Liga title as Real Madrid manager next season.Interestingly, those are shorter odds than the available odds of 13/10 not accounting for the Portuguese’s appointment, suggesting Mourinho will have a positive impact.