What is Diaz's situation? Mourinho's plan becomes clear and the battles over the line-up ignite | Goal.com

Veröffentlicht am 18 Aug 2026 | Lesezeit: 2 Minuten

José Mourinho has begun sketching the outline of his first-choice line-up before Real Madrid's La Liga campaign gets under way. Pre-season revealed his initial approach, chief among it a reliance on a 4-2-3-1 formation and an attempt to combine his most prominent attacking weapons in a single side.

According to Spanish newspaper "As", Mourinho has provisionally settled on the 4-2-3-1, a shape that lets him field the attacking quartet of Yan Diomande, Jude Bellingham, Vinícius Júnior and Kylian Mbappé. The four have not yet appeared together in any friendly during the pre-season.

Mourinho is banking on that quartet to power the Real Madrid attack, with the possibility of handing Bellingham more flexible roles behind the striker. The Portuguese continues his search for the best formula to strike a balance between his heavyweight attacking names.

In midfield, and despite the failure to sign Rodri, Bernardo Silva enjoys great trust from Mourinho. The Portugal international can occupy more than one position, whether in the depth of midfield or as a mobile playmaker on the flanks, which makes him one of the important elements in the coach's calculations.

Competition looks fierce for the holding pair, given the presence of Aurélien Tchouaméni, Federico Valverde and Bernardo Silva. Eduardo Camavinga remains outside the circle of guarantees over the starting line-up, despite receiving a significant chance to feature during the pre-season after beginning training early.

At the back, the picture remains less clear due to injuries and the varying readiness of the players. Álvaro Carreras benefited from the absence of Ferland Mendy and was the team's most-used player during the pre-season, while "As" indicates Marc Cucurella will be one of the important elements in Mourinho's calculations this season.

Down the right flank, the battle looks open between Trent Alexander-Arnold and Denzel Dumfries. Mourinho still awaits the completion of his options at centre-back with the return of Éder Militão and the recovery of Raúl Asencio, which leaves the choice of the defensive pairing in the opening match against Espanyol far from settled.

Arda Güler, on the other hand, has forcefully imposed himself on Mourinho's calculations. He seized his chances during the pre-season and provided two decisive assists, becoming one of the team's most prominent attacking alternatives, especially as the 4-2-3-1 gives him greater space to shine in the playmaker position.

Brahim Díaz also strengthened his case as one of the preferred options on the right wing. Young Carlos Espí was among the biggest beneficiaries of the pre-season, climbing the order of substitutes and moving closer to deputising for Mbappé up front, surpassing Endrick in Mourinho's current calculations.

Six friendlies have brought five wins and a draw, with the team keeping a clean sheet across the last 243 minutes. Mourinho enters Saturday's clash against Espanyol with clear initial features for his side, even if some positions remain open to competition and change at the start of the season.

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