A major dilemma: Real's collapse leaves Mourinho facing the ghosts of the past

Camavinga and Valverde again featured in midfield, and the role of each once more raised doubts. The Frenchman has the attributes to be an extremely complete player. Yet his spells of disconnection from the flow of the match, and the puzzling difficulty he faces in executing certain technical touches, make his level wildly inconsistent.

The Uruguayan poses a different question. He has never shone at the base of the build-up, and his football looks more natural when the match opens up, when he is given spaces to run into, or when he drifts out to the wing.

Real Madrid need players who want the ball and want to be involved in that area. Fede Valverde, rather than making himself available to receive it, seems to hide during many phases of play, and he cannot provide the required contribution in organised attack either.

Here the question Real Madrid chose not to resolve in the transfer market returns: "Who controls the midfield when the match demands calm, control and ball circulation?" After failing to sign Rodri, the answer has once again become reliance on individual solutions, such as Arda Guler, who carried the team on his shoulders.

Mbappé, Vinícius and Bellingham are hugely talented players whose abilities are beyond question. The problem lies in how well they fit together, and in the "untouchable" status they appear to have acquired within the club.

Real Madrid created plenty of chances against Betis. Mbappé can seem astonishingly easy in front of goal at times, yet he also squanders more clear-cut chances than anyone else in the competition. When he is off form, a team that leans so heavily on his goals pays a heavy price.

Vinícius is far from the version that once made him a decisive factor. He can still change a match with a single moment, but for some time now he has looked as though he is contributing less than he should, his influence far smaller than it was. His most recent renewal guarantees him a hierarchical status that the pitch no longer reflects.

Bellingham was one of the team's most important and most impressive players in the recent period. Against Betis, though, the Englishman showed once more that he lacks a degree of consistency.

He looked exhausted. Unable to find suitable areas from which to shoot, his performance loses much of its value.

The three impose more constraints on the team and coach José Mourinho than they should. Look no further than Mourinho's decision to substitute Arda Güler against Betis.

Yes, the Turk was carrying a yellow card despite performing better. But would the Portuguese coach have made the same call had the booking belonged to one of the other three forwards? Güler was offering far more than some of the stars. He was simply the easiest change to make to keep the dressing room calm.

Real Madrid have lost only one match, and it is still too early to talk of drama. Yet the spotlight returns to the two big problems that have plagued the team for years: the deep-lying playmaker in midfield, and how well its three stars fit together.

Through all of this, Diomande, who looks confused every time he steps onto the pitch, cannot get a real chance to play.

Defeat against Betis drags the old doubts back into view. Mourinho must resolve them if he wants to change the path this team has been on for several seasons.

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