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Why Jose Mourinho should call on Thiago Pitarch heavily this season

The Real Champs · Maximus Polek · 2026-08-20T04:15:32+00:00 · nguồn gốc

At Real Madrid much of the talk this summer has been centered around their midfield and who they would sign to patch up their biggest weak spot on the pitch. The midfield has been struggling for consistency ever since the departures of Toni Kroos and Luka Modric and it seemed like this summer was finally going to be the summer the club fixed it. Real were closing in on a move for Rodri only for the Spaniard opting to join rivals Barcelona leaving Los Blancos without their desperately needed midfield reinforcement. Jose Mourinho will now head into the season with only the midfielders already at the club leaving many wondering how is he going to fix the issues with the same players. Mourinho could however have a secret weapon up his sleeve in the form of Thiago Pitarch. Thiago Pitarch could be the solution Real Madrid are looking for The teenager was given his first team debut last season amid another midfield injury crisis and showed that at just 19-years-old he has what it takes to play for a club like Real Madrid. Pitarch put in a number of strong performances against club like Benfica, Manchester City, and Atletico Madrid, and is coming of the back of a Euro u21 championship campaign, a tournament where he bagged seven assists. Pitarch may still be only 19-years-old but he brings everything to the table that Real Madrid we're looking for in the midfield market this summer. He's good on the ball, calm, composed, plays the right pass, and likes to pull the strings from a deeper laying role. Is he good for a mistake every now and then? Sure but again he's still only 19-years-old and has incredible potential in front of him, potential that if any manager can unlock it, it's Jose Mourinho. Playing Pitarch in a midfield two next to Fede Valverde could bring the perfect balance that Real Madrid are looking for. Pitarch can sit deep while Valverde has freedom to push forward and with defensive help from Jude Bellingham, the midfield could finally have the stability it has been lacking since the departures of Toni Kroos, Luka Modric, and Casemiro. The only negative is that Pitarch is out injured at the moment. The youngster suffered a knee injury in just his second day back in pre-season training and is expected to be sidelined until mid September. Missing these crucial early weeks with the new manager could derail his season before it even gets started but Mourinho knows talent when he sees it, and even with his season starting after others, Pitarch is a player we should be seeing a lot of this season.