Mourinho confirms Tchouaméni and talks about Valverde, Diomande, Vinícius and rotations ahead of Elche

Real Madrid C.F.

Tchouaméni will play against Elche

5

Tchouaméni
4.870.000€-630.000€5

J5

-

J4

-

J3

-

J2

-

J1

MD

00

The clearest statement from Mourinho affects Aurélien Tchouaméni. The Frenchman is gradually moving forward after playing between 10 and 15 minutes against Inter and then increasing to 20-25 against Rayo. "He is getting better and better, he feels stronger and more confident. Tomorrow he will play." Mourinho did not confirm whether he will start or how many minutes he will play, but he did make it clear that his involvement will keep increasing.

Valverde was substituted as a precaution

32

Fede Valverde
12.660.000€-2.230.000€5

J5

4

J4

6

J3

7

J2

10

J1

MD

10

Good news also comes for Fede Valverde. Mourinho explained that his substitution at halftime in the last match was a precautionary measure after noticing a minor issue. "If it had been 0-0, I would have kept him on. We are pushing the risk limit, but with 3-0 we are going to protect the player". Therefore, the coach's words point more to managing workloads than to a serious injury.

Rest for Vinícius, Mbappé and the attackers?

With barely two days between matches, Mourinho was asked about the possibility of giving rest to one of his attacking players. The Portuguese coach explained that the decision will depend on individual feelings, physical data, and the medical department's assessment. But he left an important hint: "If I can and there is nothing abnormal, I will play with them again tomorrow". Therefore, the initial intention does not seem to be making major rotations in attack, unless some late physical problem arises.

Diomande is ready, but he has a lot of competition

21

Diomande
16.200.000€-1.620.000€7

J5

3

J4

5

J3

3

J2

3

J1

DL

00

Mourinho was quite clear when talking about Diomande. "He lacks nothing". The coach believes that in a squad with less competition he would probably be a starter almost all the time, but at Real Madrid it is very difficult to be undisputed. Therefore, his lack of starts is not due to a physical or adaptation problem, but to the huge competition that exists.

Mourinho expects more from Vinícius

The coach backed Vinícius Jr. again, although he admitted that he still expects him to reach his most decisive version. "His best version is scoring." Mourinho values his daily work, assists, and collective effort, but believes that he still lacks that Vinícius who can decide a match with a single chance. "He is missing this kind of extremely high-level performance". This is not a criticism of his involvement, but a demand for him to get back to his maximum attacking level.

Arda Güler keeps gaining weight

47

Arda Güler
11.810.000€+800.000€10

J5

7

J4

12

J3

11

J2

7

J1

MD

21

The comments about Arda Güler were very positive. Mourinho highlighted his quality, his vision, his decision-making, and his ability to bring stability and creativity to the game. "For me he has fantastic potential". The coach even placed him at a "top, top" level, confirming that the Turk continues to grow in importance within the team.

More competition in midfield

Mourinho again insisted that he wants to keep the whole squad involved and with options to add minutes. In midfield he has different profiles such as Camavinga, Tchouaméni, Bernardo, Valverde and Jude, and the setup can vary entre a pivot with two inside midfielders or other combinations. This increases the options, but it also means a higher risk of rotation among the midfielders over the coming matchdays.