Can Mourinho win with just one defender available? Real Madrid spent two summers reshaping its back line, amassing five centre‑backs to banish a lingering weakness. Yet the first serious test of the campaign sees him possibly fielding only Antonio Rüdiger against Villarreal, while the obvious fix—delaying Aurélien Tchouaméni—remains on the table.
Dean Huijsen is suspended, Ibrahima Konaté is recovering from a mild right‑knee lateral ligament strain, Raúl Asencio just left the operating theatre, and Éder Militao finishes rehab on a femoral‑biceps injury sustained in April. He trains with the squad but won’t make the matchday list. Five centre‑backs on the roster, four likely absentees for October 10.
Rüdiger alone escapes the injury list—a physically demanding player whose knee woes have finally settled. The German now stands as the sole fully fit centre‑back for a fixture that kicks off a demanding stretch. Pressing Konaté into service or rushing Militao, whom the club prefers to restore cautiously, would turn a short‑term fix into a bigger gamble.
The paradox is striking. Madrid signed Huijsen in 2025 and Konaté last summer to rejuvenate a chronically thin centre‑back area, then added continuity with Rüdiger, Militao and Asencio. On paper the defence ceased to be an emergency zone. Come October, it’s back to being one. For my money, the recruitment plan feels short‑sighted.
Huijsen won’t feature against Villarreal after a red card in the derby. Konaté returned from France injured; his recovery, once pegged at two‑to‑three weeks, now looks doubtful. Asencio underwent successful surgery Thursday for a right‑tibia stress fracture and will miss several months. Militao is back in rehab but has been sidelined since April and must regain rhythm before competing.
The tried‑and‑true fix. Will Madrid finally find a permanent fix before the season’s climax?
Tchouaméni reappears by pure logic. The Frenchman already covered the role under Carlo Ancelotti when injuries thinned the defence to a thread. He offers power, aerial skill and ball‑play, yet his return would push a midfield balancing player out. It solves one gap and creates another, recalling his mixed outings with Valverde: a hard‑won win at Elche (2‑3) and a loss at the Metropolitano (2‑1).
Deploying him in defence wouldn’t be novel; it mirrors a pattern from recent seasons. In 2023/24, severe blows to Militao and David Alaba left Rüdiger and Nacho Fernández as the only specialists for months. Tchouaméni then slotted into the back line, even forcing right‑back Dani Carvajal into centre‑back duties. Madrid clinched the league and Champions League, a glittering finish that hid structural frailty.
The following campaign saw the back line fracture again. Militao and Carvajal suffered serious knee injuries, Alaba’s comeback lagged, and Asencio emerged from the academy to fill the void. Tchouaméni once more toggled between midfield and defence. Faces changed, but the sense of makeshift solutions persisted.