According to AS, following the loss to Betis, Mourinho may adjust his midfield setup against Inter, with Bellingham potentially dropping into a deeper role.

The report indicates that Mourinho's midfield problems have become increasingly apparent following the away defeat to Real Betis. With continued midfield injuries, he must rebuild the entire midfield unit, which may necessitate a change in formation.

Brahim Díaz is suspended and unavailable for the Inter match, while Tchouaméni remains sidelined through injury. Mourinho currently has only one established midfielder available – Valverde. If he insists on maintaining a 4-2-3-1 formation, he must find a solution.

There are four squad players who could fill this void, all capable of playing in midfield, though none are traditional midfielders: Bellingham, Alexander-Arnold, Ceballos, and even Huijsen.

Bellingham:

His performances this season have shown he is best suited playing behind the striker, closer to goal, but given his versatility, deploying him deeper could be the most sensible option, especially if Brahim plays as an attacking midfielder. In this scenario, the 4-2-3-1 formation would remain unchanged.

Alexander-Arnold:

He is not ideally suited to this position, or at least not to playing centrally. During Mourinho's tenure, similar roles have been attempted – for instance, against Fiorentina in Klagenfurt and in the second half of the Trofeo Teresa Herrera – but strictly speaking, he did not function as a central midfielder but rather as an inverted fullback.

Defensively, Alexander-Arnold would operate as a fullback, while offensively he would venture into the center, carrying the ball forward from deep and joining the attack from midfield. However, this approach still requires another midfielder alongside Valverde, leaving the problem unresolved.

If the formation changes to 4-3-3, deploying him in midfield becomes viable. In this setup, Alexander-Arnold on the right and Bellingham on the left would support Valverde in the center of midfield, with an attacking trio of Diomandé or Brahim, Mbappé, and Vinícius ahead.

Huijsen:

Huijsen's technical ability is such that many believe he has midfielder potential, though this brings complications. If Rüdiger and Konaté operate as centerbacks, Huijsen's midfield contribution would be correspondingly reduced, particularly during build-up play from defense.

Cestero:

This could also be a timely opportunity to give a chance to academy graduate Cestero. It is worth noting that Pitarch is also injured, and with Palacios departing to Fulham before the transfer window closed, Cestero is likely to become a key player during this period of limited availability.

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