Mourinho’s second Real Madrid era raises fresh doubts over Valverde’s role

Jose Mourinho has begun his return to Real Madrid with bold selection decisions that could leave some of the club’s biggest names fighting to retain their places, with Federico Valverde emerging as one of the first major casualties of the Portuguese manager’s tactical revolution.

Mourinho has returned to Valdebebas and the Real Madrid dugout with one clear objective: to restore a winning mentality to a side that has gone two consecutive seasons without lifting a trophy. His second spell has not started quietly, however, with an unsettled first-choice line-up and a series of early decisions already creating uncertainty within the squad.

Although Mourinho’s preferred XI is still taking shape, the first signs of change were evident in his opening selection. He did not rely on Marc Cucurella or Ivorian forward Yan Diomande, two players expected to become important parts of the team this season. Their absence suggests that significant changes could still be made to the starting side that featured in last weekend’s match.

The biggest debate in Madrid concerns the midfield. Mourinho used Bernardo Silva and Federico Valverde as a double-pivot in his first appearance, while Jude Bellingham operated ahead of them as the playmaker. Bellingham’s position appears almost certain to remain his, while Arda Guler was selected on the right wing.

That position could become the first directly affected by Diomande’s eventual arrival in the team. At the same time, the midfield structure has raised questions about where Valverde fits into Mourinho’s plans.

The issue was discussed on El Larguero, the well-known programme on Cadena SER, where journalist Raul Ruiz asked: “When Tchouameni regains his fitness… who will Mourinho sacrifice? Will he leave out Bernardo Silva or Arda Guler?”

A striking response came from the so-called Real Madrid veterans’ panel, which features a group of former club players. Analyst Rafa Alkorta said he did not believe Valverde was suited to a role in a double pivot.

“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 does not mean Tchouameni would have prevented the goal, but Valverde is certainly not a holding midfielder, let alone a central midfielder. The player with the most movement and the one trying to link the play is Bernardo Silva,” Alkorta said.

Ruiz then questioned whether the Uruguay international still had a guaranteed place in the side, either in midfield or on the right flank.

“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,” he said.

Mourinho’s tactical calculations may nevertheless leave little room for sentiment. If he settles on Bernardo Silva and Aurelien Tchouameni as his central midfield pairing and selects Diomande on the right, both Valverde and Guler could face a serious threat to their starting positions.

Alkorta argued that Valverde had “not yet understood the balanced style of play”, saying the role demanded winning the ball back, covering ground and applying constant pressure. In his view, Tchouameni may be more decisive in those areas than Valverde.

Former Spain international Kiko Narvaez agreed with that assessment.

“That 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 understood this style of play, because he has many attacking options moving from one side to the other, which causes him to lose his position,” Narvaez said.

With Mourinho weighing several options and introducing a more complex tactical approach, Valverde one of Real Madrid’s most committed and combative players in recent seasons could become the biggest loser of the manager’s second revolution at the Bernabeu, which has only just begun.

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