Bernardo Silva emerges as Mourinho’s potential midfield wildcard at Real Madrid

Real Madrid’s difficult victory over Deportivo La Coruna in the Teresa Herrera Trophy has renewed concerns about the team’s midfield, with Bernardo Silva suggested as a possible solution after the club failed to sign Rodri Hernandez.

The result may have secured a pre-season trophy, but it did little to disguise tactical weaknesses that could remain throughout the campaign. That was the view of analysts Antonio Romero and Tomas Roncero on SER Deportivos after Real Madrid won at Riazor with a full-strength side led by Jose Mourinho during his second spell in charge.

Romero said it was difficult to draw firm conclusions from pre-season matches and stressed that Real Madrid had reached only 20 to 30% of their potential. However, he identified the lack of a creative presence in midfield as the team’s most obvious weakness.

“Real Madrid still feels as though it is missing a playmaker in midfield. They have an outstanding defensive team and an almost unbeatable attacking force, but there is room for improvement in the middle of the pitch,” Romero said.

Roncero warned that Real Madrid could not afford to become complacent after their failure to complete a deal for Rodri. He argued that the club would have to find another way to compensate for the qualities they had wanted from the Manchester City midfielder.

“If you wanted to sign Rodri and you did not do it, that means you have to fill that gap. If you do not sign him in the end, you will feel that absence throughout the season,” Roncero said.

He added that Real Madrid could no longer claim the issue was unimportant, with the midfield problem becoming increasingly apparent during their preparations.

Romero proposed a solution he described as being in “Mourinho’s style”. He suggested that the Portuguese manager might look to build a winning team without relying on a conventional creative midfield structure.

“If there is a manager in the world capable of bypassing midfield to build a winning team, it is probably Mourinho. But we do not have to look far to see that Real Madrid’s most successful team in history included Casemiro, Kroos and Modric,” he said.

He then identified Bernardo Silva as the player who could make the required sacrifice, drawing on observations from the match in La Coruna, the Portugal international’s time at Manchester City and his experience at the highest level.

“Based on what I saw in La Coruna, what I have watched from him at City and his experience, I believe Bernardo Silva would accept that sacrifice,” Romero said.

“He can be a soldier for Mourinho. If he asked him to play alongside Tchouameni and provide some support, he reminds me a little of Modric,” he added.

Romero ruled out several other Real Madrid midfield options for that particular role, including Eduardo Camavinga, Arda Guler, Jude Bellingham and Federico Valverde.

He also urged supporters to be patient with new signing Yan Diomande, who is not yet 20. Romero said playing for Real Madrid represented a huge challenge and could not be judged simply against a player’s ability to produce five good minutes for Leganes.

The analyst ended by praising Marc Cucurella and highlighting the excitement surrounding the left-back’s arrival. While Diomande is attracting considerable attention, Romero said Cucurella was the player many supporters were eager to see attacking from the wing at the Santiago Bernabeu.

“Diomande attracts a lot of attention, but the player everyone is desperate to see running down the wing at the Bernabeu is Cucurella. He is the kind of footballer you have to love. Since Marcelo and Roberto Carlos, we have had the feeling at the Bernabeu that we would be able to enjoy an attacking left-back,” he said.