Mourinho's guillotine claims its first heavyweight victim at Real Madrid
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Jose Mourinho walked back through the gates of Valdebebas with a single objective: to restore the winning spirit to a side that has been absent from the podiums of glory for two consecutive seasons.
His return was anything but quiet. The "Special One" arrived laden with bold tactical decisions and a starting line-up still taking shape, one that threatens to push big names out of the first team's plans.
The final shape isn't clear yet, but the early signs confirm the revolution has begun. The Portuguese launched his second spell without two signings expected to be key pillars this season, Marc Cucurella and the Ivorian Yann Diomande, which means radical changes to the side that played last weekend.
Midfield sits at the heart of the biggest debate in Madrid. Mourinho relied in his first appearance on a double pivot of Bernardo Silva and Federico Valverde, with Jude Bellingham ahead of them in the playmaker role, a position that looks almost certainly his. The Turk Arda Guler, meanwhile, occupied the right wing, tipped to be the first casualty of Diomande's arrival.
What is the final shape of Real Madrid's midfield?
This thorny issue was detonated by the famous "El Larguero" programme on "Cadena SER" radio, where journalist Raul Ruiz asked frankly: "When Tchouameni regains his readiness, who will Mourinho sacrifice? Will he leave out Bernardo Silva or Arda Guler?"
The answer landed as a shock from the heart of the "Real Madrid Veterans' Council", an elite group of former stars. Analyst Rafa Alkorta confirmed that he does not see Valverde suited to the double pivot role.
Alkorta said: "I don't see him playing there, because I don't think he is a pivot player. We saw that in one of the attacks that led to Espanyol's goal. That doesn't mean Tchouameni would have prevented the goal, but Valverde is certainly not a holding player, let alone a central midfielder. The player who is most mobile and tries to link the play is Bernardo Silva."
Ruiz pressed again on the fate of the Uruguayan star: "Does Valverde still have a place in this team, whether in midfield or on the right wing? I would be very surprised if Valverde does not start for Real Madrid."
Mourinho's tactical calculations may not be merciful. Should the Portuguese settle on Bernardo Silva and Tchouameni in the deep positions, with Diomande fixed on the right flank, both Valverde and Guler will find themselves facing a real risk of losing their place in the starting line-up.
Alkorta explained that Valverde "has not yet grasped the balanced style of play", pointing out that the position demands winning back the ball, running and continuous pressing, tasks in which Tchouameni may prove more decisive than Valverde.
Analyst Kiko Narvaez agreed, saying: "This is the coach's job. He has a team and a personality that allow him to choose the right moment for each player, and I agree with Rafa about Valverde. He has not yet grasped this style of play, because he has many attacking options moving from side to side, which makes him lose his position."
Between the wealth of options and the complexities of the new tactics, Fede Valverde, one of the most committed and combative players in recent seasons, may be the biggest loser in Mourinho's second revolution. And it has only just begun at the Bernabeu.
