Real Madrid begin their competitive campaign on Saturday, 22 August, with a home meeting with Espanyol at 21:30, but Jose Mourinho’s first major challenge is already clear: the club still has a longstanding shortage of centre-backs.
The defensive issue has followed the team through the successive spells of Carlo Ancelotti, Xabi Alonso and Alvaro Arbeloa, and it has now been inherited by Mourinho. Despite activity in the transfer market, the gap at the heart of the defence remains unresolved just hours before the club’s official return to action.
Real Madrid allowed Austria international David Alaba to leave last summer and brought in France defender Ibrahima Konate as his replacement. However, that signing has not been considered sufficient to solve the problem, which Mourinho identified immediately after taking charge.
The Portuguese manager has repeatedly asked for another central defender since the beginning of his tenure. His concerns could be exposed in the opening match against Espanyol, with Mundo Deportivo reporting that only three recognised centre-backs are currently available to him.
Those options are Germany international Antonio Rudiger, Spain Under-21 defender Dean Huijsen and new arrival Konate. The rest of the squad’s alternatives are unavailable or are not being considered for the game.
Raul Asencio and Brazil defender Eder Militao are both injured, while Militao is expected to remain out for a significant period. Mourinho is also not relying on defenders from the academy, leaving him with limited experience and selection flexibility in the centre of defence.
That situation makes his choice of pairing against Espanyol one of the main questions before Real Madrid’s first competitive fixture. Konate has played only once alongside Huijsen, in the match against Schalke 04, meaning their partnership has had little opportunity to develop.
Huijsen’s performances have improved compared with his early appearances, but doubts about his reliability remain. Rudiger offers considerably more experience, although his displays during pre-season have raised more questions than they have answered.
Mourinho must therefore decide whether to select the new signing alongside Huijsen, use Rudiger as one of the two starters, or find another solution from a group that currently provides few convincing alternatives.
Real Madrid go into the new campaign with their central defensive department looking exposed. While the club’s transfer business has addressed part of the problem, the absence of Asencio and Militao, combined with Mourinho’s reluctance to turn to academy players, has left the manager facing an immediate test.
The priority for Mourinho is now to stabilise the back four quickly and prevent the unresolved centre-back issue from undermining the team’s opening performance. Espanyol will provide the first competitive indication of whether Real Madrid can cope with the shortage, or whether the same defensive weakness will continue to trouble the club under another manager.
