Mourinho faces dilemma at Real Madrid with six stars competing for two spots | OneFootball

Real Madrid spent the summer trying to sign Rodri from Manchester City, but the Spaniard eventually chose to give preference to a move to Barcelona.

While Rodri has not yet moved to the Catalan club, Los Blancos have definitely moved out of contention to sign him this summer.

According to AS, this has left Jose Mourinho with a decision to make on his midfield options without the option of the 30-year-old Spaniard.

The Portuguese tactician appears settled on using a 4-2-3-1 system, but the two midfield spots behind Jude Bellingham remain very much up for grabs.

The Englishman is nailed on for the spot directly behind the striker, and rightly so, following his exploits for England at the World Cup.

Valverde and Bernardo lead the race

Federico Valverde looks almost certain to remain one of Mourinho’s key players. He has also taken on the armband for the new season.

Set to be a regular starter. (Photo by Christian Bruna/Getty Images)

The Uruguayan captain brings energy, leadership and tactical flexibility, making him one of the strongest contenders to start.

Alongside him, Bernardo Silva has quickly emerged as another favourite.

Although naturally a more advanced midfielder, the Portuguese international has already shown during pre-season that he can dictate play from deeper areas.

In the absence of a profile like Rodri, Jose can get away with deploying Bernardo in defensive midfield in a similar role.

Competition remains wide open

Aurelien Tchouameni is expected to challenge strongly once he returns to full fitness after minor physical issues delayed his integration into pre-season.

Eduardo Camavinga has started every friendly so far but continues to face uncertainty over his long-term role after an inconsistent campaign.

He has not had the most compelling of pre-seasons either for Jose to look at him and make him a key part of his plans.

Meanwhile, Arda Guler has been one of the standout performers of pre-season. However, Mourinho still views the Turkish international primarily as a No. 10, where Bellingham remains first choice.

Pushing for a prominent role. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)

Young midfielder Thiago Pitarch also remains part of the first-team plans despite retaining a Castilla registration.

The Spanish breakout starlet was initially a candidate to leave the club this summer, but the Rodri setback seems to have paved the way for him in the first team.

Mourinho has to get the balance right

The most important challenge for Mourinho is not putting the best two names together in the middle of the park, but rather identifying the balance that works.

On paper, a combination of Valverde and Bernardo can work wonders, but the others will have to step up.

The upcoming season could be massive for the likes of Tchouameni and Camavinga, who are both young but have not yet proven themselves at the club.

It remains to be seen how Jose goes about getting his midfield options working and whether he can identify the perfect combination that makes Rodri’s absence as irrelevant as possible in the long run.