Real Madrid News
Alonso impressed with the level reached by Real Madrid midfielder in training – ‘Feels like the captain’
According to Defensa Central, new Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso has been deeply impressed by Federico Valverde’s early training displays at Valdebebas.
Despite only overseeing three sessions so far, Alonso is already forming his first impressions, and Valverde has made a strong one.
While many of the squad’s international players are still returning from national duty, Valverde was one of the first senior names to report for pre-season.
The Uruguayan midfielder trained for the first time under Alonso this week, and the former midfielder was reportedly delighted with what he saw.
In a conversation with his coaching staff, Alonso reportedly said, “You can see that he already feels like the captain of this group, he transmits it and that is very good.”
A natural leader with the club at heart
Valverde’s leadership on the pitch is no surprise to Real Madrid fans. The 26-year-old has long been considered one of the most important players in the team, and his consistent performances, intensity, and drive have set him apart.
There are even key figures at the club who believe he has what it takes to wear the captain’s armband in the near future.
More importantly, Valverde is fully committed to Real Madrid. Both he and his family are happy in the Spanish capital, and despite interest from several top European clubs, he remains fully focused on succeeding at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Alonso is expected to continue building around Valverde, just like his predecessor Carlo Ancelotti did.
However, fans are hopeful that the Uruguayan will be used in his natural midfield role rather than being shifted to right-back, a position he was occasionally forced to play last season.
Real Madrid News
Rayo Vallecano manager names the one Real Madrid figure he would remove from the team
Rayo Vallecano face a daunting trip to the Santiago Bernabeu to take on a wounded Real Madrid this weekend.
Life after Inigo Perez has not been kind to the Vallecas-based club, who have already had to travel to Camp Nou and now face a trip to the home of their city giants.
Speaking ahead of the game (h/t Madrid Xtra), Rayo Vallecano manager Benat San Jose was asked which Real Madrid player he would like to remove from the team before this weekend’s game.
Surprisingly, his choice was not Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior or Thibaut Courtois.
“Mourinho”
Asked which Madrid player he would take out of the upcoming contest, Benat jokingly chose the man sitting on the opposition bench.
“Which Real Madrid player I’d remove from the match against them? Mourinho,” Benat said with a laugh.
The answer might have been delivered jokingly, but the Rayo coach immediately made clear just how highly he rates the Portuguese manager.
“He’s one of the best managers in history,” he added.
It is significant praise ahead of Saturday’s meeting at the Bernabeu.
Madrid’s squad contains enough individual quality to give any opposition coach several obvious answers, but Benat instead highlighted the influence Mourinho can have over the entire team.
That has become particularly relevant since the Portuguese coach returned to Madrid. His early work has focused on making a talented group function with greater collective discipline.
Courtois and Madrid’s attack also praised
Benat did not stop with the manager.
“They also have one of the best GKs in history and one of the best attackers in history,” he said.
Benat will definitely have seen how Thibaut Courtois played against Inter Milan in midweek and will hope that version does not turn up again this weekend.
Even when teams manage to create opportunities against Madrid, they still have to beat one of the defining goalkeepers of his generation.
At the opposite end, Madrid possess attacking quality capable of turning a match on its head.
The likes of Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham can all decide matches single-handedly.
Madrid have a point to prove
Madrid are coming off a disappointing loss to Real Betis in La Liga last weekend and will come into this game with a point to prove.
They will want to ensure that the loss to the Andalusian club was a one-off and that they return to winning ways against Rayo.
Their title rivals, Barça, have been flying high in the league, scoring goals and picking opponents apart for fun.
Madrid need to ensure that they do not hand too much early incentive to Barça, and it remains to be seen how Los Blancos fare against Rayo Vallecano.
