Clásico: José Mourinho’s three plans against FC Barcelona

25.10.26 16:00 LaLiga Spain

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On Wednesday evening, after Real Madrid’s victory over RB Leipzig (4-1), Madrid-based media asked José Mourinho whether he intended to field Federico Valverde at right-back again in Sunday’s Clásico. Could the Portuguese coach opt for a new plan against FC Barcelona?

AS and Marca did not wait for Saturday’s press conference to detail José Mourinho’s plans. These revelations should be treated with caution, since the two Madrid-based daily newspapers have different versions. According to Marca, Eduardo Camavinga could be one of Mourinho’s surprises.

Given a new opportunity with the France national team under Zinédine Zidane, the former Rennes player could be handed a starting place in midfield. AS refers to Mourinho’s “three plans” for the Clásico against FC Barcelona, with several starters confirmed: Thibaut Courtois, Ibrahima Konaté, Marc Cucurella, Aurélien Tchouameni, Jude Bellingham, Yan Diomandé and Kylian Mbappé. Camavinga is not part of the plan.

Valverde’s position at the heart of everything

The three options depend on the positioning of Federico Valverde. In Plan A, the Uruguay international would remain at right-back. “Valverde has the ideal verticality for his position, allowing him to drop very deep on the pitch and, in addition, combine well with the midfield, thereby creating situations of numerical superiority,” AS writes. Under this plan, Mourinho would field the following 4-2-3-1: Courtois - Valverde, Konaté, Rüdiger or Huijsen, Cucurella - Tchouameni, Güler - Endrick or Bernardo Silva, Bellingham, Diomandé - Mbappé.

Under Plan B, Valverde should return to his natural position as a defensive midfielder alongside Tchouameni. The Spanish outlet indicates that Mourinho would retain his 4-2-3-1 formation and that the only changes would be to bring in a specialist right-back (Dumfries or Alexander-Arnold) and move Güler to the right flank (in place of Endrick or Silva).

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Finally, Plan C! Valverde would play as a right winger. Once again, the formation would remain the same, with Güler returning to a central midfield position, but Mourinho would have a right flank that was doubly secured defensively with the Uruguayan alongside Dumfries or Alexander-Arnold.

Joshua SOSSOU

Editorfr, en, ar

As a sports fan, and particularly a football fan, I've been putting my writing talent to good use for a number of years now to promote African talent and the continent's football in general. On Foot Africa, enjoy reading each of my lines.

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