According to AS, Real Madrid coach José Mourinho is facing a severe midfield shortage, and he will need to work some "magic" in the center of the park.

Real Madrid will be without several key players for the Champions League match against Inter Milan. Bernardo Silva, Aurélien Tchouaméni, and Federico Valverde are suspended, while Jude Bellingham and Tiago Pita are injured. José Mourinho has been forced to deploy unconventional solutions in midfield.

Following an unexpected defeat at La Cartuja, Real Madrid's path remains difficult when the Champions League returns. As the competition resumes, Mourinho faces mounting problems in the center of the park. The Portuguese coach must assemble a midfield lineup never seen before, and with so many players unavailable, he may need to adjust his tactical setup. The missing players are Bernardo Silva, Aurélien Tchouaméni, Federico Valverde, and Jude Bellingham, each absent for different reasons.

Bernardo Silva's absence stems from a handball incident in the second leg of the Round of 16 in last season's Champions League between Manchester City and Real Madrid, for which he received a red card. That match also led to Manchester City's elimination (winning 3-0 at the Bernabéu and losing 1-2 at the Etihad). Tchouaméni and Valverde accumulated enough yellow cards to trigger suspensions in the semi-final round in Munich, ultimately leading to Real Madrid's exit. Bellingham is still recovering from injury. Currently, Mourinho has only Aurélien Tchouaméni available as his primary midfielder. If he maintains a 4-2-3-1 formation, he will need to find new creative solutions.

There are four players on the squad who could fill this significant midfield void. They are not natural midfielders but can operate in the position. They are, in order: Bellingham, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ceballos, and even Hüzelsoy.

Bellingham has proven several times this season that he is better suited to playing behind the forwards, closer to the opposing goal, as evidenced by his 23 goals and 13 assists in his first season with Real Madrid. José Mourinho explained his ideal position days ago: "He has a talent for scoring and needs to play near the penalty box. He's a number 10, can play as a number 6 or number 8, but if he plays too deep, we lose his danger near goal." Given his versatility, pulling him back seems the most reasonable option, especially if Brahim Díaz can play as an attacking midfielder without changing the 4-2-3-1 formation.

In contrast to Mourinho's assertion that Bellingham should play closer to the opponent's box, Carlo Ancelotti holds the opposite view. He stated during preseason: "For me, he is a midfielder." This season has been particularly challenging for Bellingham, but playing midfield is not unusual for him.

Trent Alexander-Arnold's capabilities make him a viable option for this position, at least in an offensive role. Under Mourinho's management, he has demonstrated this ability, such as in matches against Fiorentina at Klagenfurt and in the second half of the Copa del Rey. However, he doesn't play as a natural midfielder but as a right-back with Dundee in front of him. In defense, he strictly plays the right-back role. In attack, he becomes heavily involved in play from the defense and pushes forward to support the offensive game. In any case, this option requires another midfielder to partner with Tchouaméni, and the problem persists.

Another possible option for Alexander-Arnold to play in midfield would be to shift the formation to 4-3-3. In this case, Alexander-Arnold would be on the right, Bellingham on the left, with Tchouaméni in the center, and Vinícius Júnior, Kylian Mbappé, and Brahim Díaz up front.

Aurélien Tchouaméni's ball control is so impressive that many believe he could play in the midfield position, but this could be a double-edged sword. The technical advantages he could offer in midfield might be offset by the loss of his ball-playing ability from defense (with Rüdiger and Nacho as center-backs). During his early days at Málaga Unión Costa Club's youth academy, Tchouaméni was a striker. His coach at the time, David Santos, convinced him to use his physique and dribbling skills to become a center-back who could play with flair.

Tchouaméni's talent caught José Mourinho's attention early on. When the Spanish-Dutch player was at Juventus, Mourinho wanted to loan him to Roma. At Roma, Tchouaméni scored one of the most beautiful goals of his career: dribbling from midfield into the penalty area and firing a powerful shot into the net. That was against Frosinone, and from that moment on, Mourinho knew his abilities in that area well.

This is also an opportunity to give confidence to academy prospect Ceballos. It should be noted that Tiago Pita is not being considered as he is still recovering from a knee injury sustained during the second training session after joining Mourinho's squad. With the sale of Manuel Ángel to Fulham before the transfer window closed, Ceballos will have more opportunities to play during this player shortage.

At the beginning of preseason preparations, when squad players who went to the World Cup had not yet returned, Mourinho included the 20-year-old midfielder from Zaragoza in a 15-player list to supplement the main squad. He earned this opportunity by making 5 appearances last season under Carlo Ancelotti's management (making his debut in the Copa del Rey against Talavera) and Rafa Benítez, including a Champions League group stage match against Benfica at Estádio da Luz.

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