Jose Mourinho has full faith in his current Real Madrid lineup despite derby defeat

Real Madrid’s hopes of keeping pace with league leaders Barcelona suffered a massive blow when they slumped to a 2-1 defeat to Atletico Madrid in the Madrid derby.

Although the game made headlines for controversial refereeing calls, the overall performance from Real Madrid made it evident that the team is not yet ready to compete with Barcelona.

Real Madrid’s problems have been further compounded by the confirmation of Federico Valverde’s injury, with the midfielder set to miss two weeks of action.

Mourinho retains faith in the lineup

Despite the derby defeat, however, Mourinho has retained full faith on the current lineup, as reported by MARCA.

Mourinho has many problems to navigate. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

Indeed, the Real Madrid coach keeps his confidence in the squad fully intact, believing the team has the quality to ultimately fight for every trophy on offer.

It appears Mourinho’s observations in day-to-day training at Valdebebas has been promising. He and his staff believe the team is still under construction and take for granted an evolution in the team’s performances in the coming matches.

The six-point gap is significant, particularly with Barcelona offering an image of enormous reliability, but Mourinho and his team are adamant the squad has the resources to turn things around.

Decisions to ponder over the break

The international break offers Mourinho time to reflect, even if he will be unable to work collectively with his squad for the next two and a half weeks.

Can Mourinho turn things around? (Photo by Fran Santiago/Getty Images)

His chief immediate concern is that his internationals return healthy to Valdebebas ahead of Real Madrid’s next fixture against Villarreal on October 10.

Tactically, the midfield is the main area under review, with the Valverde-Tchouameni pairing lacking creativity in the build-up.

That could increase the case for Bernardo Silva as an option in many matches, particularly against defensive sides.

Mourinho’s broader philosophy, however, is that there is no fixed eleven or untouchable starters, as he believes his squad offers different profiles suited to different types of games.