xabarchixabarchiABARCHI
Sport

Mourinho names two players who will be dropped from Real Madrid's starting lineup - El Nacional

Mourinho reveals two players to drop from Real Madrid starting line-up — El Nacional

Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho has decided to make some initial tactical changes after the La Liga opener against Espanyol.

According to El Nacional, the Portuguese coach is unhappy with the pace of the ball being passed forward and wants to change the flanks for the next official match.

It is reported that Alvaro Carreras will lose his place in the starting line-up. Mourinho plans to bring in Marc Cucurella on the left wing of the defence. Cucurella has impressed the coach with his aggressiveness and high-intensity movements. The Spaniard is more effective when moving up and down the flanks and is more reliable in defence when joining the attacks.

Arda Guler will be the main "victim" of the new scheme. Mourinho believes the Turkish international has reduced the depth of his team's attack by duplicating Jude Bellingham's duties by moving from right wing to centre. He will be replaced by Yann Diomande on the right wing. Diomande's pace and one-on-one skills should stretch the opposition defence and open up spaces for Bellingham, Kylian Mbappe and Bernardo Silva.

These radical changes do not mean that Güler and Carreras have lost all faith in each other - they will also gain experience. However, Mourinho wants Real Madrid to play more verticality, aggression and unpredictable football. Therefore, the focus will be on other players in the near future.

Real Madrid's next La Liga match is at home to Real Sociedad on August 26.

Cookies on xabarchi

We use cookies to remember your language and theme, and to count how many people are reading right now — that count is anonymous, lasts only while your browser is open, and cannot be tied to you or to another visit. With your permission we also measure how the site is read: Microsoft Clarity, which records page views and on-page interactions, and our own count of returning readers. Nothing that recognises you across visits is measured until you accept.