Real Madrid's Midfield Dilemma: The Case of Thiago Pitarch
Real Madrid spent the summer staring at the same question from every angle: do they actually have enough in midfield? The doubt was serious enough that the club went after Rodri. When that move fell apart, the decision was made – they would ride with what they had, leaning even more on Bernardo Silva, whose role in white has crept away from pure playmaker and closer to a roaming midfielder.
The season has started, and the old doubts are already back on the surface.
Control problem exposed against Inter
As reported by Spanish newspaper AS, Madrid’s issues were laid bare against Inter. They never really put a foot on the ball, never dictated, never calmed the game down. It was all too frantic, too loose.
Afterwards, Fede Valverde admitted that José Mourinho had been shouting the same message from the touchline: keep the ball, slow the tempo, manage the game. It simply didn’t happen. Inter tugged the rhythm their way, and Madrid went along for the ride.
This isn’t a new problem. It’s a continuation.
The rise – and pause – of Thiago Pitarch
The cracks first appeared last season, only for an unlikely figure to plaster over them. Thiago Pitarch, then still a Castilla player, forced his way into the first-team picture and stayed there.
He didn’t just make up the numbers. He played more than 800 minutes, started both legs against Manchester City in the Champions League round of 16 and the first leg of the quarter-final against Bayern. In the biggest games, under the brightest lights, Mourinho trusted him.
This year, his story has stalled.
A departure was seriously considered in the summer. Then came an injury at the start of pre-season, and the exit door quietly closed. With no squad spots available, Pitarch remained officially registered with the reserves, but his reality is different: he trains as a first-teamer, holds first-team status and has a new contract that underlines it.
Now comes the hardest part. Getting on the pitch.
Fifth in line – on paper
The tactical board does him no favours. Mourinho has settled on a 4-2-3-1, and that system locks Pitarch into the double pivot. It’s the most congested area of the pitch and the most competitive part of the squad.
His rivals? Valverde, Tchouaméni, Camavinga and Bernardo Silva.
On paper, Thiago Pitarch is fifth out of five. No rotation spot, no obvious route. What he does have is the memory of what he showed last season – a clean, confident use of the ball and a personality that didn’t shrink under the weight of the Madrid shirt. The stage never seemed too big for him.
Mourinho hasn’t used him recently, the injury having knocked him down the pecking order, but the coach hasn’t forgotten.
Mourinho’s verdict: first-team or nothing
The Portuguese has been clear in private and public about how he sees Pitarch. His assessment is blunt and generous at the same time: “He is not a player to feature in the Castilla category, but rather a first-team player and I like him a lot. He has qualities that I like very much, and when he is fully fit he will be part of the group, and then there will be minutes waiting for him to play, as he has very high quality.”
The message is unmistakable. Mourinho considers him a senior option, not a youth-team filler. The caveat sits in that one phrase: “when he is fully fit”.
That is the battle now.
Two kilos between the bench and the XI
Mourinho wants Pitarch to harden up physically, to meet the demands of a coach who builds his teams on intensity, especially without the ball. Defensive work in that double pivot is non-negotiable. You either cope with the duels, or you don’t play.
So the coach went straight to the point with his young midfielder: “The only thing I tell him is that his leg muscles are like mine, and he needs to add two kilograms there through work.”
It’s a typically sharp Mourinho line, but behind the joke lies a clear plan. Pitarch has the technical level. He has the temperament. Now he needs the frame to survive – and impose himself – in a Real Madrid midfield that still hasn’t convinced anyone it’s complete.
If he finds those two extra kilograms, he might just solve the problem the club spent all summer trying, and failing, to fix in the market.
