Real Madrid News
Premier League on high alert as Real Madrid not ruling out key midfielder’s sale – report
Real Madrid vice-captain Federico Valverde’s name has been on everyone’s lips lately and for all the wrong reasons as well.
The midfielder’s latest brawl with Aurelien Tchouameni in the dressing room and his subsequent injury, coupled with his relationship with coaches all season, have put question marks over his standing in the team.
Valverde has faced immense criticism for his captaincy at times, with fans believing that the midfielder’s ego has changed since the start of the season.
In any case, once regarded as the long term solution to Real Madrid’s midfield, Valverde could be starting at an uncertain future ahead.
What’s next for Valverde?
According to OK Diario (h/t Mundo Deportivo), Valverde’s future at Real Madrid is now genuinely in doubt, and the consequences of his brawl with Tchouameni at Valdebebas are proving far more significant than initially anticipated.
Both players were fined €500,000 by the club following the incident, and Valverde was sidelined with a head injury. But for the Uruguayan, the fallout has gone much further.
Real Madrid have not ruled out selling Valverde this summer. The club feels he failed to conduct himself in a manner befitting a captain during the altercation.
As a result, he is expected to be stripped of the captaincy. He currently holds the position of second captain at the club.
Those within the club’s hierarchy have been left with a very poor impression of the Uruguayan following the incident, and the possibility of his departure is something Real Madrid are not dismissing.
Premier League clubs are on high alert and are likely to pounce on the opportunity to sign Valverde this summer. Real Madrid, though, won’t be selling the player on a cut-price deal, as he still has a contract at the Bernabeu until 2029.
Real Madrid News
Mourinho talks Carlos Espi, Diomande, Guler, Tchouameni, Atletico Madrid after Elche 2-3 Real Madrid
Real Madrid found another way to win, but Jose Mourinho was hardly celebrating the manner of it.
Carlos Espi’s injury-time strike completed a 3-2 comeback against Elche, rescuing Madrid after they had surrendered control of a game that appeared to be in their hands.
For Mourinho, the result was welcome, but the performance raised a familiar concern.
“When everything seems easy and you let things slide, it’s dangerous. Then the team reacts and wins, but it’s not pleasant.
“The other good thing is that nobody gets bored with these matches. They’re fun,” he began saying.
Mourinho knows what is going wrong
The Portuguese coach was particularly frustrated by another drop in intensity after the interval.
Real Madrid had opportunities to put the game beyond Elche before allowing their advantage to disappear. Mourinho believes that pattern is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.
“It seems obvious to me. It’s easy to understand. These are games that are all but over, where we have chances to seal the deal but don’t. After failing to do so, we go from having it easy to losing control.
“If we play poorly from the first minute to the 90th, the concern is huge.
“If we have periods where we’re at our best and others where we’re not proactive, just waiting, lacking intensity… Of course it’s a concern. But we won.”
The win keeps Madrid moving, but Mourinho’s concern is less about the points than the way his team is repeatedly making matches unnecessarily complicated.
Carlos Espi again provided the decisive moment from the bench, although Mourinho knows breaking into the starting XI will be difficult with Mbappé ahead of him.
“He’s a guy who works hard and is very motivated,” Mourinho said.
He then added, “He’s up against a player who’s in a league of his own (Mbappe), and we’re well aware of that.”
Madrid derby comes at a delicate moment
Next up is Atletico Madrid, and Mourinho’s attention is already turning towards the derby.
Rather than focusing on the opposition, he remains concerned about his own side’s ability to manage matches.
“The only explanation I can find is that we can’t keep going like this. We misjudged the opportunities we had, and once they score a goal, everything changes,” explained the Real Madrid coach.
Meanwhile, there were positives to take from individual performances, as Mourinho praised Yan Diomande’s development after another energetic outing.
“He’s improving. Physically, you can tell he has more minutes under his belt. He has a great work ethic and intelligence—he’s done a great job.”
Mourinho refuses to call Guler indispensable
Arda Guler’s importance was also questioned after another fantastic performance, but Mourinho rejected the idea that any player is beyond replacement.
“No, no one is indispensable. We were losing control when I made the substitutions; Vini did a great job on defence, but he was very tired.
“And Arda, who was playing in the number 10 position, was also losing intensity.
“I brought in a fresh Jude and Brahim when we were down 0-2, but I could sense we were losing control. That’s how it goes for us. And then, we brought in the heavy artillery and turned it around.”
Mourinho was also pleased with Aurelien Tchouameni and Federico Valverde during Madrid’s strongest spells.
“When the team was playing well, he and Valverde were playing well. They broke through the pressure easily, with skill.
“But the game had two phases—or rather three: one until it was 0–2, another until it was 2–2, and another until the end. They did a good job,” he concluded.
Source: AS
