{"id":4655,"date":"2026-09-20T07:09:24","date_gmt":"2026-09-20T07:09:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportbulletin.top\/?p=4655"},"modified":"2026-09-20T07:09:24","modified_gmt":"2026-09-20T07:09:24","slug":"jose-mourinho-told-to-drop-struggling-real-madrid-superstar-for-atletico-madrid-derby","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportbulletin.top\/?p=4655","title":{"rendered":"Jose Mourinho told to drop struggling Real Madrid superstar for Atletico Madrid derby"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Real Madrid<\/a> are preparing to face Atletico Madrid in La Liga<\/a><\/em> at the Metropolitano, and Jose Mourinho\u2019s side will be keen to get one over their city rivals.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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A trip to the home of Los Colchoneros<\/em> has proven to be a bogey fixture for Los Blancos<\/em> in recent seasons.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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It is not often that you see Real Madrid show a pattern of struggling at a particular ground against a particular opponent.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Mourinho will be keen to set the record straight this time around and send a statement with a victory tonight, and he has some key decisions to make<\/a> on the starting line-up.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The Portuguese tactician has been urged to make a huge selection call for Real Madrid\u2019s derby against Atletico Madrid, with journalist Ivan Martin arguing that Vinicius should lose his starting place to Yan Diomande.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Mourinho told to drop Vinicius<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
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According to Defensa Central<\/a>, Martin outlined the changes he would make for the Metropolitano clash, and the most striking one involved Vinicius.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cI would take Vinicius out and put Diomande in, but that\u2019s not going to happen,\u201d<\/strong> Martin said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Dropping Vinicius for a derby would represent an enormous decision from Mourinho, and Martin himself expects the coach to continue trusting the Brazilian.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Jose Mourinho told to drop Vinicius Jr. against Atletico Madrid. (Photo by Angel Martinez\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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However, the fact that such an argument even exists is down to the poor form of Vinicius and the promising signs both Diomande and Guler showed in previous games.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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For Madrid, that competition should be welcomed. Vinicius remains one of the biggest attacking figures in the squad, but performances have to dictate selections.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Concern over Mourinho\u2019s Guler decision<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
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Martin is even more concerned about what Mourinho might do with Guler.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cMy big doubt is that Mourinho doesn\u2019t do something stupid with Guler,\u201d<\/strong> he said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The fear is that Madrid could sacrifice creativity in an attempt to match Atletico physically.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Guler has become an important source of creation and could be particularly valuable when Madrid need to escape pressure and find Kylian Mbappe in dangerous positions.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Martin expects Tchouameni and Valverde to provide the midfield base.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cI think Tchouameni and Valverde are going to play,\u201d<\/strong> he said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Bernardo Silva unlikely to get a starting berth<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
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Martin, meanwhile, said that Bernardo Silva was not in the kind of form to start such an important game.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cBernardo isn\u2019t ready to play that game. His World Cup was already poor, he has never regularly played in that position and I don\u2019t think he\u2019s ready to play a match of that intensity,\u201d <\/strong>Martin said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Bernardo Silva has not had a great start to life at Real Madrid. (Photo by Florencia Tan Jun\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Jose Mourinho has some interesting choices to make around some guaranteed starters for the Atletico game.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Starting Diomande over Vinicius would be the boldest. However, it is almost impossible for Mourinho to consider that as a possibility.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Keeping Guler alongside a powerful Tchouameni-Valverde base could offer a compromise between creativity and physical security.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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It remains to be seen what decisions Mourinho makes and how they influence the first Madrid derby of the season.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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