One of the leading voices in Real Madrid media has named Jose Mourinho’s starting XI.
Madrid kick their season off on August 22nd away against Espanyol in LaLiga where we’ll get some early signs of Mourinho’s second era at the club.
Pre-season has so far been a success for the Portuguese, as has the transfer window where Real have smashed their transfer record and brought in a number of big names.
Madrid are possibly the most intriguing team in Europe at the start of the season due to their massive turnover, and one of the key voices around the club has had his say.
Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid XI predicted by expert
AS editor Tomas Roncero was given the difficult task of predicting Madrid’s first choice XI to start the season, and there were a number of big surprises.
First, in defence, he thinks Trent Alexander Arnold will make way for Denzel Dumfries, and Ibrahima Konate will start despite a poor World Cup.
“Mourinho wants to strengthen the defence, and the Englishman isn’t exactly a reliable option behind him,” he said, naming Dumfries alongside Rudiger and Marc Cucurella.
On the other centre back, he continued: “I’m imagining that he’s [Konate] been given a warning.
“Because his first half against England in the third-place match was such a disaster that they must have told him: ‘If you come to Madrid like that, you won’t last long.’”
Roncero then named his midfield three of Jude Bellingham, Aurelien Tchouameni and Fede Valverde.
However, when it came to the forwards there were even more surprises.
Instead of €125million record signing Yan Diomande or serial winner Bernardo Silva, he went for Arda Guler.
More trouble for Bernardo Silva
“That’s my theory,” he said. “Knowing Mourinho, I think that in slightly more complicated matches he’ll play Guler instead of Diomande.
“Mourinho has an easy excuse because the new Real Madrid winger is a very young lad, it’s not the same playing for Leipzig or Leganés as it is for Real Madrid.
“In the big matches, I see Guler instead of Diomande.”
On Silva, he finished that the Portuguese has to step up if he’s to find a place in the starting XI.
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