Real Madrid News
Real Madrid hit by major defensive shortage ahead of La Liga opener
Real Madrid are heading into the start of the new La Liga season with an early concern at the heart of their defence, as injuries have left Jose Mourinho with only three fit senior centre-backs for the opening match against Espanyol.
According to AS, Eder Militao is still recovering from the long-term injury issues that affected him last season, while Raul Asencio is expected to spend around six weeks on the sidelines after suffering a thigh problem during pre-season.
The situation means Real Madrid could begin their La Liga campaign relying on Antonio Rudiger, Dean Huijsen and summer signing Ibrahima Konate as their only available first-team options in central defence.
Militao and Asencio injuries leave Mourinho short
Real Madrid’s defensive depth has taken a hit before the competitive season has even properly begun.
On paper, Mourinho has five recognised centre-backs in his first-team squad, but two of them are unavailable for the Espanyol clash.
Militao remains on the road to recovery and is not yet ready to return to action, while Asencio’s thigh injury is expected to keep him out for several weeks.
That leaves Mourinho with little room for rotation during the opening phase of the La Liga season.
The biggest question will surround Konate’s readiness. The new Real Madrid signing still has time to work on his fitness, with two weeks and a pre-season friendly against Schalke available before the league campaign gets underway.
Huijsen, meanwhile, is expected to be an important figure once again.
A minor muscle issue kept him out of the team’s first official match, but he was Real Madrid’s most-used centre-back last season and could now be asked to take on a major role from the very beginning.
Rudiger completes Mourinho’s available senior trio.
The German defender also dealt with knee problems last season, although he has recently returned to action, playing 45 minutes against Ferencváros before starting the match against Deportivo.
Joan Martinez and Mario Rivas impress Mourinho in pre-season
The lack of available defenders has also opened the door for Real Madrid’s younger players, with Joan Martinez and Mario Rivas having caught Mourinho’s attention during pre-season.
Both youngsters started in the club’s first two friendly matches and have given the Portuguese coach another option as he prepares for the opening weeks of the campaign.
With only three fit senior centre-backs currently available, one of Martinez or Rivas could be required to step up as the fourth central defender in the squad.
Real Madrid News
Rayo Vallecano manager names the one Real Madrid figure he would remove from the team
Rayo Vallecano face a daunting trip to the Santiago Bernabeu to take on a wounded Real Madrid this weekend.
Life after Inigo Perez has not been kind to the Vallecas-based club, who have already had to travel to Camp Nou and now face a trip to the home of their city giants.
Speaking ahead of the game (h/t Madrid Xtra), Rayo Vallecano manager Benat San Jose was asked which Real Madrid player he would like to remove from the team before this weekend’s game.
Surprisingly, his choice was not Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior or Thibaut Courtois.
“Mourinho”
Asked which Madrid player he would take out of the upcoming contest, Benat jokingly chose the man sitting on the opposition bench.
“Which Real Madrid player I’d remove from the match against them? Mourinho,” Benat said with a laugh.
The answer might have been delivered jokingly, but the Rayo coach immediately made clear just how highly he rates the Portuguese manager.
“He’s one of the best managers in history,” he added.
It is significant praise ahead of Saturday’s meeting at the Bernabeu.
Madrid’s squad contains enough individual quality to give any opposition coach several obvious answers, but Benat instead highlighted the influence Mourinho can have over the entire team.
That has become particularly relevant since the Portuguese coach returned to Madrid. His early work has focused on making a talented group function with greater collective discipline.
Courtois and Madrid’s attack also praised
Benat did not stop with the manager.
“They also have one of the best GKs in history and one of the best attackers in history,” he said.
Benat will definitely have seen how Thibaut Courtois played against Inter Milan in midweek and will hope that version does not turn up again this weekend.
Even when teams manage to create opportunities against Madrid, they still have to beat one of the defining goalkeepers of his generation.
At the opposite end, Madrid possess attacking quality capable of turning a match on its head.
The likes of Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham can all decide matches single-handedly.
Madrid have a point to prove
Madrid are coming off a disappointing loss to Real Betis in La Liga last weekend and will come into this game with a point to prove.
They will want to ensure that the loss to the Andalusian club was a one-off and that they return to winning ways against Rayo.
Their title rivals, Barça, have been flying high in the league, scoring goals and picking opponents apart for fun.
Madrid need to ensure that they do not hand too much early incentive to Barça, and it remains to be seen how Los Blancos fare against Rayo Vallecano.
