Real Madrid’s centre-back crisis: Alaba isolated, youngsters touted as makeshift fixes

Claims today painted a bleak picture for Real Madrid at centre-back, with only David Alaba considered fully ready and academy or external names floated as emergency support. Fans immediately pushed the familiar solutions - Aurelien Tchouameni and Eduardo Camavinga at the back - while others prayed for a swift Antonio Rudiger update and lamented Eder Militao’s rotten luck. From where I’m standing, optimism feels misplaced. Madrid are one awkward knock from a full-blown reshuffle, and any short-term patch will drag quality out of their midfield. Rivals will fancy their chances attacking early, often, and especially at set plays.

Real Madrid enter a congested stretch with Nacho already gone in the summer, Alaba only recently back to consistent minutes after last season’s ACL, and Militao having battled long-term issues before. Depth has thinned behind Rudiger and Alaba, triggering talk of promoting Castilla options and repurposing midfielders. The calendar offers little relief, with league and European nights stacked. Training ground whispers point to conservative workloads for senior defenders and contingency drills that again involve Tchouameni and Camavinga dropping into the back line.

❗️Real Madrid only have 3 fit centre-backs at the moment: • Dean Huijsen • Raúl Asensio • David Alaba

@MadridXtra

Impact Analysis

I cover this from the rival dugout, and frankly, Madrid look one misstep from chaos. Strip away the badge and you see a unit that can’t rehearse continuity: centre-back pairings rely on who survived the last session, not on tactical design. That bleeds into everything. Line height gets conservative, full backs hesitate to overlap, and the first pass out becomes predictable because no one wants to split wide and leave acres behind them. Pressing distances stretch, the number 6 drops too deep to babysit, and the front line loses service.

Teams will target the left channel when Alaba steps into midfield zones to build, then whip balls into the blind side between full back and the makeshift partner. On set pieces, Madrid’s box control suffers without the rugged pairing they had when Rudiger and a fully sharp Militao patrolled. Even goal kicks turn risky - opponents can squeeze high because they know Madrid won’t risk threading through undercooked centre-backs.

Yes, you can stick Tchouameni back there. He reads danger, wins his duels, and passes cleanly. But you pay a heavy tax in midfield where Madrid’s identity is forged. Camavinga as a back line firefighter works only in spurts - over 90 minutes he wants to break lines, not hold them. If Rudiger’s timeline stretches and Militao remains stop-start, Ancelotti will be rationing minutes, juggling workloads, and praying for quiet medical reports. From a rival perspective, this is the window to press them, force restarts, and turn second balls into chances.

Reaction

Fan traffic split fast. The pragmatic crowd immediately went to the emergency drawer: Tchouameni to centre-back, Camavinga if needed, survive the week and regroup. Some doubted whether David Alaba should even be counted as fully reliable yet, a fair nudge given last season’s layoff. Others clung to a hopeful line that Rudiger will be back soon, only to be drowned out by replies reminding everyone how often Madrid have had to shuffle defensive pieces across the last two campaigns.

There was genuine sympathy for Militao - a recurring theme of how good he is and how cruel the timing has been. A few Castilla-watchers threw out alternative names for a cameo at centre-back, suggesting a promotion over pushing another midfielder out of position. The thread also had the usual noise - off-topic promos and meme replies - but the football core settled on the same uneasy truth: every solution robs Peter to pay Paul. Move Tchouameni and you weaken the midfield spine. Push Camavinga and you lose chaos control in transitions. One quip summed it up neatly: the only reliable option is the one not even expected to play. It was dark humor masking a real fear - that a single injury or suspension could tip the whole structure.

Social reactions

Rudiger will be back soon

Saum (@Saum_rmcf)

Carreras peut jouer CB

jule (@jule94216173780)

Madrid Xtra ❗️Real Madrid only have 3 fit centre-backs at the moment: • Dean Huijsen • Raúl Asensio • David Ala

Arsenal Lad (@Muhirwakyeyune)

Prediction

If I’m reading the mood in Madrid’s camp correctly, the first short-term fix is Tchouameni at right centre-back alongside Alaba, with Camavinga anchoring midfield to protect the space in front. That preserves first-pass quality while minimizing exposure to runs in behind, especially if the full backs are instructed to stagger their overlaps. Expect conservative rest defense, shorter distances between centre-backs, and a ban on hero-ball switches when pressed.

Castilla promotions are the second lever. A fresh, disciplined academy centre-back in a tight role - win aerials, clear danger, feed the 6 - is safer than emptying midfield. It wouldn’t shock me if Ancelotti trims the back line’s average position by 5 to 7 meters for tricky away fixtures and instructs the wingers to stay touchline-wide to give an escape valve.

Transfer-wise, Madrid will monitor the winter window for a low-friction depth profile - a stopgap who is tactically obedient and aerially secure. Do they love that idea? Not particularly. But they also won La Liga titles by avoiding avoidable risks. If Rudiger’s and Militao’s timelines drift, pencil in a short-term move. Meanwhile, opponents will pin their full backs high and test the back post relentlessly. Until a senior pairing returns, that is the obvious pressure point.

Latest today

• Man United set to approve January loan for Sekou Kone - fifth-choice midfielder needs minu...
• Chema Andrés lighting up Germany - Real Madrid’s €13.5m 2026 buyback looks inevitable
• Cristiano Ronaldo's White House selfie with Elon Musk and Gianni Infantino lights up the i...
• Cristiano Ronaldo greets President Trump in Washington as part of Saudi delegation

Conclusion

Rivals can smell it. Madrid are improvising again at the one position where repetition matters most. Alaba provides class on the ball, but he needs a partner he can trust, and every hour spent trialing solutions is an hour not spent automating movements. Push a midfielder back and you remove the side’s best shield. Promote a kid and you gamble on temperament under lights.

From the press box I’ve seen this script before. The first match or two looks tidy - adrenaline, clean sheets, everyone pats each other on the back. Then the legs get heavy, distances creep, and a cross from a nothing angle decides the night. That’s why timetable optimism from inside the Bernabeu won’t scare opponents. They will keep testing the seam between centre-back and full back, they will crowd the six-yard box, and they will press goal kicks to force long.

Madrid have enough talent to ride this out, but not without scars. The quickest path back to control is simple: pick a pairing, lock it in for three games, and make the midfield whole again. If that can’t happen, the league’s sharpest managers will circle the dates and come with a plan to make them turn - not build - under pressure.