Old headache haunts Mourinho: threatens Real Madrid's start against Espanyol
A "leaky defence" predicament!
Hours before his eagerly awaited official debut, Real Madrid find themselves facing the same old nightmare that haunted everyone who preceded Jose Mourinho on the Santiago Bernabeu bench.
The Whites kick off their season next Saturday, 22 August, with a tough clash against Espanyol at 9:30pm. Yet the start looks threatened by a gap the transfer market has failed to close.
A chronic crisis at the heart of the defence
Centre-back remains a chronic headache at the White House. The problem afflicted Carlo Ancelotti, Xabi Alonso and even Alvaro Arbeloa, and now it passes unchanged to Mourinho.
David Alaba walked out last summer, and the board replaced the Austrian by signing France's Ibrahima Konate. That move alone did not solve a dilemma Mourinho knows well, which explains his insistence and his repeated request to bring in another centre-back from his very first day in charge.
Trouble against Espanyol: only three names
According to "Mundo Deportivo", the problem will surface glaringly against Espanyol. Mourinho has only three defenders ready at the heart of the defence: Germany's Antonio Rudiger, young Spaniard Dean Huijsen and new arrival Konate.
Every other option is out of the reckoning. Raul Asencio and Brazilian Eder Militao are both absent through injury, the Portuguese coach is not counting on the academy defenders, and Militao faces a long spell on the sidelines.
Which pairing will Mourinho choose to lead the back line against Espanyol? The current data offers little reassurance. Konate has only played alongside Huijsen in the match against Schalke 04, and though the youngster has improved on his early days, he still raises plenty of doubts.
Rudiger brings vast experience, yet what he produced in pre-season raises more questions than it answers. Real Madrid enter the new season with a weak and exposed central defence, and Mourinho's biggest challenge is clear: repair this line and salvage the start, at least in the opening battle against Espanyol.
