Mourinho forced to implement an emergency plan | OneFootball

Real Madrid face a makeshift defence after France's Ibrahima Konaté, the Real Madrid centre-back, sustained a lateral ligament injury in his right leg during the international break. He could be out for up to three weeks and his involvement against Villarreal is in serious doubt, with the club unwilling to take risks.

Antonio Rüdiger is the only senior centre-back available to José Mourinho, with Dean Huijsen suspended after his derby red, Raúl Asencio recently operated on, and Militão still in recovery. Sport reports that Mourinho is weighing a switch for Tchouaméni into defence or turning to the academy.

The reserves offer cover and the Portuguese coach watched their derby against Atlético Madrid's second string. Mario Rivas is viewed as the closest alternative after earning trust with heavy pre-season minutes. Juan Martínez is another option, though his reduced youth role counts against him, while Diego Aguado also features on the list.

Villarreal rediscovered rhythm before the break, beating Málaga and Levante in succession and scoring three in each. That upturn featured Molero as playmaker, Ilias Akhomach with a bigger part, and Ayoze Pérez as the reference up front. Whether they persist with that formula at the Santiago Bernabéu remains to be seen.

Mourinho has fixated on restoring defensive balance, using the pause to address flaws exposed in the Atlético derby. A patched-up back line offers little room for in-game corrections. Villarreal starts a run of five matches in 15 days, with Roma, Sevilla and Leipzig to come before the Clásico.

Dropping Tchouaméni into defence would force a midfield reshuffle. Backing a youngster instead means asking for an immediate answer in a schedule that offers no respite.

Source: Goal.com

“Artificial intelligence was used to assist in creating this article based on reporting from the original source quoted.”