Huijsen wins his place under Mourinho after playing every minute

José Mourinho has changed his full-backs, rotated the midfield and distributed minutes among his attacking players. One outfield player, however, has remained untouched. Dean Huijsen has started all three of Real Madrid’s league matches and completed the full 270 minutes.

Only Thibaut Courtois and Kylian Mbappé have matched that total. There is little surprise in seeing the goalkeeper and the team’s leading scorer on that list. Huijsen’s position was less certain, especially with Antonio Rüdiger and Ibrahima Konaté competing for places.

Mourinho started the Spanish defender against Espanyol, Real Sociedad and Málaga. His partners changed, but Huijsen stayed on the pitch. For now, he has become the fixed point of the Portuguese coach’s defensive structure.

Real Madrid’s official statistics show that Huijsen completed 201 passes and recovered the ball 13 times during the opening three rounds. He committed only two fouls. His distribution has never been the main question, though. Mourinho wants to see clear improvement in the defensive part of his game.

“I like a centre-back to have quality on the ball, confidence when building from the back and the ability to play passes between the lines that normally only midfielders can make,” Mourinho said. “But the most important things are strength, security, winning duels and giving the team confidence.”

After the 4-0 victory over Málaga, the Real Madrid coach acknowledged that Huijsen misplaced one pass through the middle. He was much happier with the rest of the defender’s performance.

“After that, he dominated the duels and the covering situations. I like centre-backs who defend well. If they can also look good on the ball, perfect, but first they have to defend. Dean is improving in that area,” Mourinho added.

That explains the terms of selection under Mourinho. Line-breaking passes are welcome and elegance is useful, but a centre-back will not keep his place simply because his passing map looks attractive. He must win his duel and protect the space first. Huijsen has done that well enough during the opening three rounds to avoid missing a single minute.

The No. 4 shirt therefore has a clear owner again. Rüdiger and Konaté remain important members of the squad and a busy schedule will provide opportunities for both. The early hierarchy is still easy to read: Huijsen’s partner may change, but Huijsen currently does not.