Real Madrid Defensive Injury Crisis: What Should Jose Mourinho do?

s has already been previously discussed, Real Madrid and Jose Mourinho currently have a crisis in central defence.

Dean Huijsen is suspended for the clash with Villarreal, whilst Raul Asencio has recently undergone surgery, and Eder Militao is not quite back from his own long term injury, even if that is not too far away now.

Then, on Saturday (the 2nd of October, Spanish media outlet Marca reported (via theMadridZone) that Ibrahima Konate - who had pulled out of France national team duty - will not be ready in time for the visit of Villarreal on the 10th.

So, this leaves Mourinho with just a 33-year old Antonio Rudiger for next week, which is just simply far from ideal for anyone concerned with the club.

So, what is the solution? Well, Marca themselves (again via theMadridZone) have reported the options that the gaffer is currently considering for the Villarreal game.

As has happened under previous managers, he could play Aurelien Tchouameni in the defence. He could also start Denzel Dumfries next to Rudiger, and allow Trent Alexander-Arnold to play at right-back.

Finally, he could look at the academy, and give a chance to someone such as Mario Rivas, Joan Martinez or Diego Aguado.

The idea of playing a La Fabrica player did cross my mind too. It may sound like an arbitrary question, but if you are not going to play a young centre back now, when will you? Sure, in the future they may be more developed, but it still feels harsh. Soon enough, the likes of Huijsen and Militao will be available. This feels like a huge opportunity for one of the youngsters. 

Furthermore, the other solutions are just far from ideal. Many say that Dumfries is not a full back in a back four, never mind a centre back. And we know that Tchouameni does not like that position. 

Now more than ever, it feels really beneficial that Rudiger retired from the German national team. Imagine he had picked up an injury during this break, or at the very least had to play a gruelling 180 minutes at his age. He will be fully fresh and ready to go next weekend, which is a big positive. 

Well, let's wait and see what happens. If Real Madrid can just get through this game, then Huijsen will immediately be available, and hopefully Konate and Militao will soon follow in their return from injuries.