For several Real Madrid players, however, this break has offered a welcome opportunity to escape the tense atmosphere currently surrounding the club and rebuild confidence with their national teams. Yan Diomandé, Eduardo Camavinga, Denzel Dumfries, Arda Güler, Carlos Espí and Trent Alexander-Arnold are among those who have made good use of their minutes on international duty, delivering encouraging performances before returning to Madrid.
Rarely has an international window felt this long, but it is the result of FIFA’s decision to reduce the number of international breaks from three to two during the first half of the season. Zinédine Zidane admitted yesterday that he will be sad to see his players leave again in a few days, but José Mourinho and most club coaches will surely feel the exact opposite.
For Mourinho, though, the restart against Villarreal is already shaping up to be a major headache.
The Portuguese coach will have very little time to properly prepare for the match, with some players expected to return only after long and exhausting journeys. Vinícius Jr, Endrick and Brahim Díaz, in particular, could arrive back in Madrid with limited recovery time before the game. On top of that, the injury situation is making Mourinho’s task even more complicated.
The biggest concern is clearly at centre-back.
Éder Militão will not yet be ready despite recently returning to full team training. Dean Huijsen is suspended, while Raúl Asencio underwent surgery on his tibia this week and is now expected to remain sidelined for several months.
To make matters worse, Ibrahima Konaté has suffered a knee problem and left the France training camp earlier than expected. His availability for the Villarreal match remains uncertain, adding another major doubt to an already depleted defensive unit.
As things stand, Antonio Rüdiger is the only senior centre-back who is fully fit and available. The German defender, who has retired from international football, has remained in Madrid during the break and should therefore be in better physical condition than many of his teammates.
Mourinho could consequently be forced to improvise from the very first match after the break. A full-back may have to move into central defence, or a younger player from the academy could be called upon depending on Konaté’s recovery.
🚨 Mourinho a rendu visite à Raúl Asencio après son opération. 🤝
— RMadrid actu 🇫🇷 (@RMadrid_actu) October 2, 2026
💪 Il a TOUJOURS ÉTÉ aux côtés d'Asencio.
✅ Il estime que l'aspect HUMAIN doit toujours prévaloir, même lorsque les joueurs subissent plus de CRITIQUES que d'encouragements. @diarioas pic.twitter.com/SD5Ani0os4
Either way, Real Madrid’s return to action will immediately test the depth of the squad.
After three weeks without club football, the focus will quickly shift back to La Liga, and Mourinho will have to find solutions almost immediately. Villarreal will not offer him an easy return, especially with so many uncertainties in defence and so little time to prepare.
For Real Madrid, the international break may soon feel like the calm before the storm.
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