After three weeks of intensive training, José Mourinho has gradually begun to shape the style he wants at Real Madrid. The Portuguese has settled on a 4-2-3-1 that hands him multiple attacking options. It also leaves him with a genuine dilemma every time he picks his starting line-up.
According to Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo, the attacking third, the zone tasked with creating space and threading the decisive pass to the forwards, offers "the Special One" an unprecedented wealth of choices on his return to the Santiago Bernabéu, 13 years after he left.
Jude Bellingham tops the list of candidates for the regular playmaker role. The England man's exceptional showing at the last World Cup makes his place in Mourinho's XI all but guaranteed.
His spot is far from safe, though. Portugal's Bernardo Silva, one of the standout signings of the summer, is pushing hard, and he arrived at Mourinho's own request. That gives him a particular edge in the Portuguese coach's thinking.
These two world stars overshadow Mourinho's other options. Turkey's Arda Güler remains an intermittent figure at Real Madrid and has yet to be handed a real chance to prove himself. Morocco's Brahim Díaz, back at the club after his loan spell at Milan, sits in a similar position.
Brahim has racked up more than 30 appearances in a single season in recent years, yet he has never nailed down a regular starting berth. Competing with Bellingham and Bernardo Silva for the role leaves his chances slim.
The packed new season will offer Mourinho plenty of scope to rotate. Still, the high technical demands and the fierce fight for silverware force difficult calls on the Portuguese, especially in the matches that matter most.