Real Madrid News
Real Madrid locker room starting to doubt key staff member’s approaches amid injury crisis
Real Madrid are currently reeling under an unprecedented injury crisis and currently have nine stars unavailable due to physical setbacks.
The team’s win over Osasuna just before the international break proved very costly on that front with Eder Militao, Rodrygo and Lucas Vazquez all suffering blows on the night.
The Brazilian defender, in particular, fell prey to a gruesome ACL tear and will not participate for the rest of the season.
Tensions growing
As revealed in a recent report on The Athletic, 17 Real Madrid players have been injured so far this season with even the likes of Vinicius Jr., Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham missing games.
The English outlet further relays that the situation has mounted pressure on the team’s physical trainer Antonio Pintus and there are now serious internal doubts over his methodologies and possibly even his future.
For starters, many consider Pintus’ techniques to be very old-fashioned for the modern game, especially given the gruelling schedule that is very demanding in itself.
Several voices in the dressing room are unhappy with the media attention he has garnered in recent times and the management disagree internally over the importance of the distance covered by players during games.
The internal tensions go far beyond Pintus with complaints now rolling in over the assistant coach and coach of set-pieces Francesco Mauri for his temperamental behaviour on the sidelines although the primary victim is the former.
The Italian fitness trainer’s relationship with Carlo Ancelotti is said to have been strained in recent times especially after he refused to take accountability or responsibility over the recovery of injured players.
Further, he believes that the team is doing enough on the field in terms of distance covered and physical output while Ancelotti and Co. believe there is a need to improve the same.
Needless to say, fingers will be pointed at Pintus until the injury situation improves, and if it does not change soon, he could well face the axe.
After a month into the new season, Aurelien Tchouameni is finally back in action for Real Madrid.
The Frenchman made his first appearance of the season for the Merengues last night against Inter Milan after recovering from the muscular injury that delayed his campaign.
His return to fitness had raised questions over where he would fit into Mourinho’s plans.
Tchouameni has been a regular in Real Madrid’s midfield for several seasons under different managers, but the end of last season was far less straightforward.
His confrontation with Federico Valverde, combined with speculation over his future at the club, created uncertainty about his position. His lack of a proper pre-season also appeared to put him behind other midfield options.
Bernardo Silva had established himself as an important figure, while Eduardo Camavinga was also ahead of Tchouameni in terms of match fitness.
With Real Madrid looking for greater creativity in midfield, there were questions over whether the Frenchman would still be a first-choice player.
Key for Mourinho
According to AS (h/t Bernabeu Digital), however, Mourinho has no such doubts. Tchouameni remains a key player for the Portuguese coach and is expected to be a starter.
Mourinho sees the French international as a midfielder without a direct replacement in the squad.
For Jose, Tchouameni provides something that none of the other midfielders in the squad do – a more defensive and positional presence, combining his tactical discipline with considerable physical strength.
His ability to shield the defence and provide balance could be particularly important for a Real Madrid side that want to defend aggressively and attack quickly in transition.
For that reason, his absence at the start of the campaign has not changed the manager’s view of his importance.
Mourinho faces a midfield selection problem
The challenge for Mourinho now is finding a way to fit all the pieces together.
If Tchouameni is guaranteed a starting position and Valverde is considered untouchable as captain, the obvious consequence is that Bernardo could find himself starting from the bench.
The summer arrival had been given an important role in helping Real Madrid control and distribute possession from deeper positions.
However, with Tchouameni and Valverde both occupying midfield places, Mourinho cannot accommodate everyone in the same lineup.
How the Portuguese coach manages that competition will be interesting to see in the coming weeks.
