With multiple absences in midfield, Mourinho is considering fielding youngsters against Inter Milan.

In Real Madrid's Champions League debut next Tuesday against Inter Milan, Sestelo or Sergio Martínez could be the biggest surprise in the starting XI at the Bernabéu. Either could see one of these Real Madrid Castilla players become the first academy prospect used by Mourinho in an official match since his second spell at Real Madrid.

The first reason is that Real Madrid's manager faces a severe midfield shortage ahead of this European fixture, with only Valverde available in central midfield. Bernardo Silva, Camavinga and Güler are suspended, while Tchouaméni and Pitarch are sidelined with injuries. The latter two have trained with the squad, but barring unexpected developments, they are unlikely to start, and their presence on the bench is also in doubt. Five absences severely complicate the midfield situation.

The second reason is that Mourinho witnessed the plan to assess Sestelo and Sergio on Saturday. Sestelo played the first half, while Sergio came on as a substitute in the second half. Neither played extensively, precisely to prepare them for Mourinho's final decision on who would partner Valverde in midfield. In that Real Madrid Castilla match, both academy players impressed the Portuguese manager greatly. Sestelo helped the reserve team take the lead with a fine goal and dominated the midfield with his commanding presence. Sergio Martínez made an impressive debut, delivering a convincing performance that showcased strong technical ability.

The case for Sestelo

The plan for both is clear: both are candidates to face Inter Milan. Now it's Mourinho's decision: the first option is to field either Sestelo or Sergio Martínez directly, trying not to alter the team too much. The second is to "change formation" and sidestep the problem by reshuffling players, avoiding placing the burden of such an intense match directly on an academy player.

If Mourinho chooses one of the two youngsters, the balance could tip toward Sestelo. The midfielder has been with the first team throughout preseason and is already well integrated into Real Madrid's rhythm. Last season, he began playing with the first team, making 5 appearances in the league, Champions League and Copa del Rey, including 1 start. He was once the cornerstone of Real Madrid Castilla's midfield, playing an important role under both Arbeloa and Julián López Delgado. In his youth career, he also faced intense challenges such as promotion playoffs and Real Madrid's run to the UEFA Youth League semifinals. Transfermarkt data shows he is currently La Fábrica's most valuable academy player, valued at 7 million euros. Arbeloa even praised him highly in Lisbon. At that time, he was still Real Madrid Castilla's coach, and last October said: "Real Madrid Castilla is the team of Manuel Ángel and Palacios, but it's also Sestelo's team. I think he is Spain's best '6' right now." This player, along with Pitarch at the time, became one of the biggest success stories of Arbeloa's project, and was steadily breaking through in Real Madrid's reserve team. For this reason, Mourinho has never overlooked him, taking him under his wing from the first day of preseason.

The case for Sergio Martínez

Sergio Martínez has made a strong impact, and expectations around him are high. The young midfielder has already demonstrated considerable ability and quickly earned praise. Real Madrid Castilla's coach said after his debut last Saturday: "The 45 minutes he played showed his level, ability, potential and especially his character. To play like that without even knowing his teammates... We are very pleased with him and know he can help us greatly this season." This young player initially played in La Liga with Racing Santander this season, and in the previous season accumulated over 300 minutes in the Segunda División, having already experienced high-level competition. However, as a new signing, this actually works against him. He has only been at Valdebebas for a week and is still in an adaptation phase. In terms of both playing time and training cohesion, he is not yet ready to overtake Sestelo if Mourinho decides to use a youngster.

Bellingham, Trent, Huijsen...

Apart from these two academy prospects, Mourinho has few options to reorganize midfield with so many players sidelined. The most direct solution, and almost the only one not too risky, is to drop Bellingham back to partner Valverde. This would free up the attacking midfielder position originally occupied by the Englishman, as well as Güler's position in the team's usual 4-2-3-1 system, giving the manager more options for the attacking midfield line. Brahim, Diomande and Espi could be deployed to address the severe problems caused by the five absences in midfield.

If other solutions are used, it means changing formation. For example, on the right flank, Denzel Dumfries and Trent Alexander-Arnold could advance, with the Englishman acting as a third midfielder, positioned with Valverde and Bellingham, and then Brahim or Espi would appear in the attack, alongside Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappé. This would mean switching to a 4-3-3 or 4-4-2 to allow the new pieces to fit. The final, and most radical, option is to bring Huijsen into midfield. Huijsen is comfortable on the ball and possesses excellent physical attributes. The center-back pairing would then be Rüdiger and Konaté, only requiring the attacking options mentioned to fill the void left by Güler.

Traducido por IA.

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