MU Shorts
The Cucurella – Carreras conundrum: Jose Mourinho faces a tough decision at Real Madrid
Real Madrid have an interesting selection dilemma at left-back, with Marc Cucurella and Alvaro Carreras competing for a starting spot under Jose Mourinho.
While Cucurella brings experience and an established reputation, Carreras is making an increasingly convincing case to become the team’s first-choice option.
The battle between the two Spaniards is particularly relevant given Madrid’s defensive difficulties so far this season.
Mourinho is searching for greater defensive stability and has an important choice to make between Cucurella and Carreras.
Carreras offers the defensive security Madrid need
One of Carreras’ biggest strengths is his ability to defend in one-v-one situations.
The 23-year-old generally looks comfortable against direct wingers, showing patience in his positioning and making it difficult for opponents to get past him.
That defensive reliability is particularly valuable in Mourinho’s system, where full-backs can find themselves isolated when Madrid lose possession.
Cucurella, meanwhile, has occasionally looked vulnerable against opponents attacking him directly, with space opening up for crosses from his side.
With Vinicius Junior usually playing ahead of him, the former Chelsea man does not get the defensive support he needs from his winger, leaving him isolated.
However, Carreras’ case is not built entirely on defending. He is also comfortable carrying possession forward, driving into space and helping Madrid progress down the left flank.
This makes him an attractive option for a team that has struggled to progress the ball up the pitch as consistently as they would have hoped.
Cucurella still offers qualities Mourinho values
Despite the growing case for Carreras, Cucurella should not be dismissed, and his reputation should not be forgotten.
His experience, aggressive pressing and willingness to engage opponents higher up the pitch can be useful when Madrid want to pin back the opposition.
He is also capable of moving into central areas to support possession, giving Mourinho different tactical possibilities.
However, Cucurella’s attacking contributions have not always been as influential as expected during these early weeks.
The Spaniard made a name for himself at Chelsea and with Spain by getting into attacking positions and creating chances for his teammates.
At Madrid, however, with the team looking to pass the ball quickly to runners like Vinicius and Mbappe, the best aspect of Cucurella’s game has not come to the fore.
This makes defensive solidity the primary requirement for Madrid’s left-back, and it is here that Carreras seems to have an advantage over Cucurella.
Carreras deserves an extended opportunity
At this stage, Carreras has a strong argument for becoming Madrid’s preferred left-back.
His defensive qualities appear particularly suited to the team’s immediate needs, while his ability to carry possession ensures Madrid would not sacrifice much attacking potential.
Instead of treating the left-back role as a game of musical chairs, Mourinho would be better off giving one of the two an extended run to make the position their own.
Competition for places is healthy as long as it does not breed insecurity, and at the moment, Carreras seems to be in better form than Cucurella.
It will not be easy to justify benching a summer investment, but Mourinho’s job is to make those difficult calls, and it remains to be seen how he approaches this decision.
Following their narrow 1-0 win over Villarreal in La Liga, Real Madrid are in action tonight in the UEFA Champions League as they take on AS Roma in Matchday two of the league phase.
The Spanish capital giants kicked off their European campaign with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Inter Milan at the Santiago Bernabeu. They will now be eager to make it two in two in the competition tonight at Stadio Olimpico.
Things will be anything but easy though considering the solid start that the Giallorossi have made under Gian Piero Gasperini, stitching together a seven-game unbeaten run, although they have only one win in their last four matches.
Roma’s first Champions League of the game against Fenerbahce also ended in a 1-1 draw last month. Nonetheless, buoyed by their home support, the Serie A bigwigs will fancy their chances, especially against a Real Madrid side that has yet to find its best version.
Los Blancos go into the game with four absentees: Eder Militao, Raul Asencio, Rodrygo Goes, and Ferland Mendy, with the Frenchman being not registered in the competition.
Vinicius Jr. will be available for the game as his impending suspension for a red card against Villarreal will only be applicable in La Liga. Meanwhile, Dean Huijsen is back in the squad after missing Saturday’s game due to a suspension.
Here’s how Jose Mourinho could set his Real Madrid team up as he returns to Stadio Olimpico to face his former employers.
Defence
Thibaut Courtois remains an undisputed starter in goal and one of Real Madrid’s most important players on the pitch. Having secured his second clean sheet of the season over the weekend, the Belgian ace will hope to add another on tonight.
Meanwhile, in defence, Dean Huijsen, back after serving his suspension, is expected to feature from the get-go. He will partner up with summer signing Ibrahima Konate, meaning Antonio Rudiger will drop to the bench against his former club.
There is likely to be a change at left-back as well with Marc Cucurella set to replace Alvaro Carreras, who started the league game against Villarreal.
On the right side of the defence, Trent Alexander-Arnold is expected to hold on to his place ahead of Denzel Dumfries.
Midfield
Jose Mourinho has yet to figure out his best double pivot pairing in the middle of the park for Real Madrid.
For now, though, the Portuguese tactician is expected to continue keeping faith in the pairing of Federico Valverde and Aurelien Tchouameni, despite the pair failing to provide the necessary control and creativity from the central areas.
Bernardo Silva could finally make an appearance off the bench after having seemingly disappeared from the manager’s plans in recent games.
As for the attacking midfield slot, there is simply no looking past Jude Bellingham, who has been Real Madrid’s best player so far this season under Mourinho.
Attack
Vinicius Jr. was benched by Jose Mourinho against Villarreal. The Brazilian came on in the second half for what turned out to be an eventful cameo capped off with a disallowed goal and a red card.
Seeing as he will be unavailable for at least two games in La Liga, Mourinho is expected to use him as a starter against Roma tonight. That, however, means Yan Diomande will drop out of the lineup immediately after scoring his first goal for Real Madrid.
On the right side of the attack, Arda Guler has impressed heavily and will hold on to his place, with his vision and creativity set to be extremely crucial.
Kylian Mbappe will make his 100th Champions League appearance, starting as Real Madrid’s centre-forward.
