According to AS, following the defeat to Betis, Mourinho may adjust his midfield against Inter, with Bellingham potentially playing in a deeper role.

It is reported that following the away loss to Real Betis, Mourinho's midfield problems have become increasingly apparent. Given the ongoing midfield injuries, he must rebuild his midfield entirely from scratch, which could mean a formation change.

Bernardo Silva is suspended for the Inter match, and Tchouaméni remains absent due to injury. Mourinho currently has only one available midfielder – Valverde. If he insists on maintaining a 4-2-3-1 formation, he must find a solution.

There are four players in the squad who could fill this gap, all of whom can play in midfield, but they are not traditional defensive midfielders: Bellingham, Alexander-Arnold, Cestero, and even Huijsen.

Bellingham:

His performance this season has clearly shown that he is better suited to playing behind the striker, closer to the opponent's goal. However, given his versatility, deploying him deeper could be the most sensible option, especially if Brahim can play as the attacking midfielder, meaning the 4-2-3-1 formation would not need to change.

Alexander-Arnold:

He is not well-suited for this position, or at least not for playing centrally. During Mourinho's tenure, he has been tried in similar roles, for example, against Fiorentina in Klagenfurt and in the second half of the Trofeo Teresa Herrera. However, strictly speaking, he would not play as a central midfielder but rather as an inverted fullback.

Defensively, Alexander-Arnold would operate strictly as a fullback, while offensively, he would operate in midfield, carrying the ball forward from deep and then joining attacks from central areas. In any case, this tactic would require another midfielder alongside Valverde, so the problem remains.

If the formation is changed to 4-3-3, then playing him in midfield would be the right choice. In this scenario, Alexander-Arnold on the right and Bellingham on the left would support Valverde in midfield, with an attacking trident of Diomandé or Brahim, Mbappé, and Vinícius in front of them.

Huijsen:

Huijsen is excellent at ball retention, which has led many to believe he has the potential to be a midfielder. However, this also presents a problem because if Rüdiger and Konaté play as center backs, Huijsen's contribution in midfield would be reduced proportionally, especially when building attacks from the back.

Cestero:

This is also a good opportunity to give a chance to a homegrown player like Cestero. It should be noted that Pitaque is also absent due to injury. With Manuel Ángel having joined Fulham before the transfer window closed, Cestero is likely to be a key player during this period of limited playing time availability.

Diterjemahkan oleh AI.

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