Real Madrid News
Real Madrid coach must find a solution in midfield vs Inter Milan with four players missing
Real Madrid’s recent 1-0 defeat at the hands of Real Betis was an early reminder that the team still requires a lot of work, especially when it comes to calming the dressing room.
Nevertheless, Real Madrid will be dealt with yet another tricky contest this midweek as they take on Inter Milan in the first match of the Champions League this season.
Heading into this crucial encounter, Jose Mourinho is facing a major dilemma, with at least four midfielders missing for different reasons.
Mourinho’s problem in midfield vs Inter
As reported by Diario AS, Real Madrid will miss no less than four midfielders heading into their game against Inter Milan.
The players in question are Bernardo Silva, Aurelien Tchouameni, Eduardo Camavinga and Arda Guler.
While Tchouameni is out injured, Silva, Guler and Camavinga are all serving suspensions.
Silva had picked up a red card in his last Champions League game for Man City, interestingly against Real Madrid themselves. He will serve the suspension against Inter.
The same goes for both Guler and Camavinga, for the two famous red cards against Bayern Munich in the Champions League last season.
That leaves Jose Mourinho with Federico Valverde as the only viable midfield option vs Inter.
What are the solutions?
If Mourinho wants to continue his 4-2-3-1 formation, he must find a new partner for Valverde in the middle of the park.
The most obvious pick would Jude Bellingham. Although the Englishman has been performing well in a more offensive role this season, he can play in the double-pivot.
If Mourinho wants to give more freedom to Bellingham, he could instead opt for a 4-3-3 formation, with Trent Alexander-Arnold operating on the right-sided midfield role.
Another interesting option is Dean Huijsen, who can operate in midfield as well due to his ability on the ball. But it is not an option Mourinho is expected to consider.
Finally, a wild card option could be Jorge Cestero. The Real Madrid youth prodigy doesn’t have much experience, but among all the other options, he is the one best suited to operate alongside Valverde in a double-pivot.
Thiago Pitarch would have been the obvious option but he is not available due to a sprain. That leaves Cestero, Bellingham, Huijsen and Trent as the possible solutions to Mourinho’s midfield problems.
Real Madrid News
Mbappe hits out at claims on his unhappiness at Real Madrid: ‘Angry at my great aunt too’
Kylian Mbappe has been in the news for a plethora of reasons in recent weeks, starting with his injury and surprise vacation. Beyond that, the Ballon d’Or saga has kept him in the spotlight for a reasonable while now.
The Frenchman, after all, has not held back in speaking out about why he deserves to win the prestigious individual award, and while it is perfectly okay to campaign for the award, it is something that has not usually been done in the past.
In terms of his goalscoring numbers, there is no doubt that Mbappe should be a frontrunner for the award. His lack of a single trophy for both club and country, however, works against his chances.
Mbappe’s sarcastic reply to baseless rumours
Earlier today, there were reports of Kylian Mbappe being angry with Zinedine Zidane and Real Madrid for not campaigning for him to win the Ballon d’Or this year.
The rumours, needless to say, portrayed the player in a very bad light and made it seem like the club not making public gestures to acknowledge and back his campaign affected him personally.
Now, the player has himself come out to lash out at the journalists, albeit in a sarcastic manner. Commenting directly below the post making the claim via Fabrizio Romano, the player wrote,
“Yes, yes, I even got angry with my great aunt too.”
Mbappe’s ability to deal with such reports with a tinge of humour, needless to say, is impressive and it can only be good for his image that he spoke out and cut off the news at its roots.
Set to return
There has been significant concern around Mbappe’s fitness in recent weeks after the player left the French national team with an injury after their first game.
The initial diagnosis appeared worrying, but it soon came to light that the player had avoided a major setback by a hair’s breadth.
Now, there is increasing hope that the Frenchman will be back for Real Madrid’s first game after the break against Villarreal, possibly even as a starter.
Needless to say, that comes as a massive positive for Jose Mourinho’s plans ahead of a crucial stretch of the season.
