The Daily Merengueis a place where you can feel free to discuss all things football. Do not be alarmed by the overt RMCF bias. Its in the name! Shoutout to the mods who do a fantastic job,Ezek, Valyrian Steel,Felipejack,Juninho,NeRObutBlancoand yours truly,Kung_Fu_ZizouMourinho continues to face the same struggles that plague every Real Madrid manager. How to find a balance with limited influence in squad construction. Mourinho has received most of what he asked for but as the opening game of the season nears, it is what he did not get that gets magnified and scrutinised. The coach seemingly wanted an entirely new back 4 and has brought in 3 defenders already. He wanted two midfielders and has been forced to settle the one who does not solve the fundamental midfield problem. In attack he has been able to balance the left-leaning dynamic with the addition of a Diamond on the Right. He also recruited a number 9 with the characteristics of a penalty-box striker to give himself more variation in attack. What lingers though, are questions about a CF who is not a natural CF, continuing as the starting CF along with a lack of cohesion in defensive application on the LW, compounded by an inability to press and have any genuine control on or off the ball in midfield. Where Mourinho cannot resolve these issues with personnel changes, he will need to rigid structure to compensate.Thiago Pitarch Is a Real OneThe La Fabrica graduate showed a lot of ability last season. He did not walk into a great team but one that was struggling on and off the ball. He ran tirelessly and constantly tried to play with composure, an admirable feature of his game. Thiagos simplicity on the ball was further highlighted by the typical haphazard play of the established midfielders who simply cannot tolerate or comprehend that a game cannot be played at a single pace or simply the pace that suits the opposition. Frat brother, real brother, that brother. We just upped the score, give me dap, brother.Kung_Fu_KennyThe youngster is seemingly on his way out with the arrival of Bernardo Silva expected to bring some control and experience to the midfield. There is a case to be made for Thiago Pitarch. His game is still developing and hes shown hes already good enough for the big stage after good performances in the Champions League and La Liga. It is true that there will be serious competition in the squad but that competition is necessary. Real Madrid have been poor for two consecutive seasons; competition for places can only serve to push the team to perform better.The Silva Bullet?Midfield options offer very little by way of variation and rhythm control. Enter Bernardo Silva. Coming from the school of Pep, he would doubtless have a greater tendency for control. It isnt entirely clear why he was signed and we are obviously going to find out soon but if he is going to solve the problems of our one-dimensional midfield, he will need to control the tempo from deep. Solving that problem elevates the ceiling of the team from scrapping for La Liga to a shot at the Champions League title.FOOD FOR THOUGHTJos Mourinho is a double-pivot manager. That is his bread and butter. It is highly unlikely that we will see a 4-3-3 which would require far more intense coaching of positioning and deliberate movements. One thing that still stands out is the difficulty of arranging an efficient midfield with the options on hand. @AranchaMOBILE: I think this is how Real Madrid START the season. pic.twitter.com/SpDKlg3TCp Madrid Xtra (@MadridXtra) August 8, 2026I would personally opt for a flatter midfield 3 with a focus on protecting the back 4 and allowing the front 3 more space to operate freely and stretch the opposition. In games where we can dominate the ball we simply move up the pitch and squeeze the opponent. That said, I do not envy Mourinhos position when having to construct a midfield out of this current squad.