Los Blancos revamped their squad this summer
\n MADRID
\nReal Madrid coach Jose Mourinho said Tuesday he is \u201cvery happy\u201d with his squad, which he considers complete despite missing out on midfielder Rodri, later signed by rivals Barcelona.
\nLos Blancos revamped their squad this summer, signing six players including record arrival Yan Diomande, Bernardo Silva and Marc Cucurella.
\nHowever Madrid\u2019s approach for Rodri broke down, meaning beyond former Man City playmaker Silva, they have not strengthened in midfield.
\n\u201cFor me the squad is closed, but the market is still open \u2014 you never know if a player will come and say \u2018I\u2019ve been benched twice and I want to leave\u2019,\u201d Mourinho told reporters.
\n\u201cIn theory no (more deals)… but something could always happen… In my head the squad is closed closed, and I have not asked for anyone. I am very happy with the players I have.\u201d
\nWith midfield maestros Luka Modric and Toni Kroos departing in 2024 and 2025, Madrid have struggled to control matches.
\nMourinho\u2019s side snatched a late 2-1 win at Espanyol on Saturday in their La Liga opener, starting with Silva and Federico Valverde together in midfield.
\nMourinho said French defensive midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni was not ready to play against Real Sociedad on Wednesday.
\n\u201cHe\u2019s got a problem, the holiday time wasn\u2019t enough (for him to recover), seeing the games approaching the player wanted to try… but we\u2019ve decided that you can\u2019t start a season in suffering,\u201d explained the coach.
\n\u201cYou can finish a season suffering, the last couple of months, but you can\u2019t start in August not at 100 percent.
\n\u201cSo we decided with him, the staff, the medical department, to get him to return at 100 percent.\u201d
\nMourinho said he had faith in Uruguay international Valverde as a midfielder, despite previous coaches using him in a variety of different roles, including right-back and right winger.
\n\u201cFor me he is a player for the centre of the pitch,\u201d added Mourinho.
\n\u201cDepending on the opponent and our objectives, he might be more set in his position or more mobile.\u201d
\nMourinho said in modern football, players\u2019 positions were less relevant.
\n\u201cI don\u2019t want to identify Tchouameni as the No. 6, Camavinga No. 6, Fede No. 8, Bernardo No. 10… things dilute during games.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Los Blancos revamped their squad this summer MADRID Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho said Tuesday he is \u201cvery happy\u201d with his squad, which he considers complete despite missing out on midfielder Rodri, later signed by rivals Barcelona. Los Blancos revamped their squad this summer, signing six players including record arrival Yan Diomande, Bernardo Silva and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":564015,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-564012","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"\n