José Mourinho Keeps His Options Open Before the Clásico

Mourinho and his double-pivot puzzle

Six different double-pivot combinations have been proposed by José Mourinho since he arrived at Real Madrid, six ways of organizing Fede Valverde, Bernardo Silva, Arda Güler, Aurélien Tchouaméni, Eduardo Camavinga and Trent Alexander-Arnold, and the Portuguese coach has refused to reveal which of those options will be chosen for the Clásico.

The lineup mystery and Mourinho's philosophy

Real Madrid visit Barcelona at the Camp Nou next Sunday, October 25. Jose Mourinho's lineup for that match is an unknown in almost every position, starting with the full-backs and ending with the wingers. Only Courtois and Mbappé appear to have their places secured for a Portuguese coach who does not like working with a fixed starting XI and who has already reminded everyone that the only untouchable thing is the crest.

Mourinho had acknowledged in his press conference that he is looking for midfielders "who are midfielders." "I ask for the full scope of the work that a midfielder does. A midfielder who only defends is a limited midfielder; one who only attacks is better off playing on the flanks or as a '10', or a false '9', because midfield is a very difficult position," he said at the time.

Valverde, from pivot to full-back

Paradoxically, one of the players least likely to be in that pivot for the Clásico is the one who has been most prominent so far. Uruguay's Fede Valverde has occupied one of the two midfield positions in 10 of the 12 matches played so far. However, the last two games have confirmed his conversion to right-back.

Valverde has had four different dance partners: Tchouaméni, on four occasions (Elche, Atlético de Madrid, Villarreal and Roma); Bernardo Silva, on three (Espanyol, Real Sociedad and Rayo Vallecano); Camavinga, on two (Málaga and Betis); and Trent, on one (Inter Milan, due to circumstances, as Bernardo, Güler and Camavinga were suspended in the Champions League).

The Valverde-Tchouaméni combination has been the most used, with a record of three wins and one defeat (in the derby). And that is despite the fact it could not be used at the start of the season, as the Frenchman began the campaign injured after pushing himself to be fit for the World Cup, and did not return to a squad until the match against Inter Milan.

In the last two matches, Valverde has moved out of the double pivot, but not out of Real Madrid's starting lineup. Along with Courtois and Mbappé, he is the only player who has started every game for the white team. Against Sevilla and Leipzig, however, he did so as a right-back.

His change of position has opened the door to two new double-pivot combinations: Tchouaméni-Güler and Camavinga-Bernardo Silva. Both were used in victories in their respective opportunities. Mourinho was pleased with the experiment after beating Leipzig, stating that Camavinga had made him forget about Tchouaméni and Bernardo had made him forget about Arda (who also played, but as a right winger).

"We're back to the meritocracy story; I need something you can buy on Amazon that can measure, because I'm very happy with the people I have," the Portuguese joked in his press conference. He rarely reveals or drops hints about his lineups, and he has work ahead to configure the best possible midfield for the visit to Barcelona. EFE

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