It's safe to say that Real Madrid's season hasn't gotten off to the start that many were expecting. After bringing Jose Mourinho back and investing heavily in the transfer window this summer, many expected Los Blancos to be back as one of the juggernauts of Europe; however, that hasn't been the case.
Real currently sit third in La Liga and still look like just 11 players on the pitch, and not unified as a whole team. Real Madrid is coming off back-to-back trophyless seasons and has major silverware on their mind this season, and for that to be accomplished, Jose Mourinho has to change something, because so far, from what we've seen through the first eight games, what he's doing isn't working.
Here are the three best soultions Jose Mourinho can implement to get Real Madrid back on track:
The 3 best solutions Jose Mourinho can implement at Real Madrid
1. Bench Vinicius Junior
Through the first eight games of the season, it is clear that Vinicius Junior has been the weak link in the attack. He's managed only one goal so far and looks miles off from what we saw from him from 2021-2024.
He's missed a number of easy one-on-one chances that in other seasons would have been guaranteed goals for the Brazilian. He looks out of shape, slow, and lacking in confidence, both in front of goal and when running at defenders.
He's become a liability on the pitch, and with all the attacking talent available to Jose Mourinho, dropping Vinicius in favor of someone else could help to reignite that frontline. He could call on Brahim Diaz, Yan Diomande, Carlos Espi, Endrick, and even Rodrygo, who is expected back from injury soon.
Kylian Mbappe has been the only real goal threat so far this season, and Real Madrid can't keep relying on just him to score goals, so while it will no doubt anger Vinicius, putting him on the bench would be the best move by Jose Mourinho.
2. Start Trent Alexander-Arnold
When Trent Alexander-Arnold arrived last summer, many expected him to be Real Madrid's right-back for the future. However, an injury-riddled season last year somewhat derailed his start to life at Real Madrid, and it got even more off course this summer with the club bringing in Inter Milan right-back Denzel Dumfries, as the manager believed he would fit his system better than the Englishman.
However, Dumfries really hasn't made that much of an impact, and with the team desperately in need of something new to help get the spark back, starting Trent wouldn't be a bad gamble.
Trent's creativity would bring a new layer to the Real Madrid team that has so far been dull as dishwater, and with the midfield still lacking someone who can pick out passes for fun like we used to see from Toni Kroos and Luka Modric, Real could use Trent's pitch-wide passing range from the backline to add what Real Madrid has been missing the last few years.
The Englishman has had a strong international break, which could play in his favor to win over the manager when club football returns.
3. Bench Fede Valverde, try a different midfield pivot
Ever since the departures of Luka Modric and Toni Kroos, Real Madrid's midfield has quite clearly been the weakest link in the team. They struggle to create or control the game in the middle of the pitch, and that has been Real's downfall over the last three seasons.
Jose Mourinho requested a new midfielder this season, but all the club gave him was Bernardo Silva on a free transfer, so the manager will have to make do with what he has, and so far he has struggled to find a perfect balance in the midfield.
So far, Jose Mourinho has used a midfield pivot of Valverde and Bernardo as well as Valverde and Tchouameni, but neither has brought what the manager has been looking for. Much like Vinicius Junior in attack, Valverde has struggled to make much of a difference when on the pitch, so it could be worth trying to sit Valverde and try a different midfield duo, like a Bernardo-Tchouameni pivot, to try and bring some kind of balance back to the middle of the park.
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