Real Madrid News
Mourinho facing early headache on Real Madrid return with staggered pre-season
Real Madrid will officially begin preparations for the new season on 13 July, when José Mourinho oversees his first medical tests and training sessions as the club’s new head coach.
However, the Portuguese manager will have to launch his project under far-from-ideal circumstances – something that is seen as a concern by him, reports SPORT.
The ongoing FIFA World Cup has significantly disrupted Real Madrid’s summer plans, leaving Mourinho frustrated by the limited number of players available during the opening weeks of pre-season.
A squad split in two
Despite having 29 first-team players under contract, Mourinho will begin work with only 13 available footballers at Valdebebas.
Even among those 13, the futures of half the group remain uncertain. The six players whose place in the squad is not guaranteed are: Eduardo Camavinga, Gonzalo Garcia, Raul Asencio, Fran Garcia, Franco Mastantuono, and Thiago Pitarch.
Mourinho will use pre-season to evaluate each of them before making final decisions on whether they remain part of his plans or leave during the transfer window.
The other seven players expected to report from day one are considered part of the club’s plans. They are: Trent Alexander-Arnold, Andriy Lunin, Alvaro Carreras, Dean Huijsen, Ferland Mendy (injured), Eder Militao (injured), and Rodrygo (injured).
Mourinho: ‘I want their national teams to lose’
Mourinho recently attracted attention when discussing the World Cup’s impact on Real Madrid’s preparations.
“You want the truth? I want the Real Madrid players to lose and go on vacation. Because I want the lads back for pre-season,” he said.
The comment surprised many supporters but reflected his desire to have his international players return as quickly as possible rather than spend another month away from club football.
15 players still at the World Cup
While Mourinho starts work with a reduced squad, 12 Real Madrid players remain involved in the World Cup and will return only after their national teams are eliminated. They will join pre-season in stages throughout July and early August.
The players currently representing their countries are: Jude Bellingham, Kylian Mbappe, Aurelien Tchouameni, Ibrahima Konate, Vinicius Jr, Endrick, Marc Cucurella, Thibaut Courtois, Antonio Rudiger, Brahim Diaz, Bernardo Silva, and Denzel Dumfries.
Federico Valverde (Uruguay) and Arda Guler (Turkey) have been eliminated and could join the team earlier.
Finalists to miss the start of La Liga
The World Cup final is scheduled for 19 July. Players reaching the final would begin their holidays on 20 July, meaning they would not return to their clubs until around 10 August.
With the new La Liga season scheduled to begin on 15 August, clubs featuring World Cup finalists are expected to start the campaign without several key players available.
The unusual calendar presents another major challenge for Real Madrid. Last season, club president Florentino Perez pointed to the expanded Club World Cup as one of the factors behind the team’s difficult campaign.
Now, the international World Cup has once again disrupted Real Madrid’s preparations, forcing Mourinho to build his new project gradually while waiting for the majority of his squad to filter back to Valdebebas over several weeks.
Real Madrid prospect Alexis Ciria will have to wait for his Champions League opportunity despite making a strong impression on Jose Mourinho during pre-season.
The Castilla winger has been left out of Real Madrid’s European squad, but the decision is the consequence of UEFA registration rules rather than a sporting judgment.
According to journalist Arancha Rodriguez (h/t Defensa Central), Ciria was not eligible for Madrid’s List B because he has not been with the club long enough to satisfy UEFA’s requirements.
Registering him would therefore have required Mourinho to include him on the more restrictive List A.
UEFA rules work against Ciria
List B provides clubs with additional flexibility to register young academy players, but being young enough is not sufficient on its own.
Players must also meet requirements concerning how long they have been eligible to represent the club.
Ciria does not meet those conditions because of his limited time at Valdebebas. Real Madrid would therefore have needed to sacrifice a List A position to register him.
With those places required for members of Mourinho’s senior squad, Ciria was ultimately left out.
Real Madrid’s List B instead includes youngsters such as Joan Martinez, Mario Rivas, Thiago Pitarch, Jorge Cestero and Daniel Yanez.
Many of these youngsters made a name for themselves under Mourinho during pre-season and could be used to make up the numbers in the Champions League squad.
They could also get some minutes off the bench, especially against relatively easier opposition, as Jose Mourinho looks to manage first-team minutes.
Mourinho still plans first-team opportunity
Importantly for Ciria, missing the Champions League squad does not appear to reflect a change in Mourinho’s opinion of him.
The youngster impressed during pre-season and is expected to continue spending time around the senior team.
Mourinho intends to give Ciria his official first-team debut during the season. That opportunity will now have to arrive in La Liga or the Copa del Rey.
The Portuguese tactician placed a lot of emphasis on trusting Castilla players during pre-season in the absence of first-team stars.
Ciria was one of the many names who made a name for themselves at Real Madrid during pre-season. He deserves a chance in the first team, and it remains to be seen how Jose plans his development.
