Real Madrid News
Real Madrid coach has chosen versatile captain to be his ‘extension’ on the pitch
Before the season, there were question marks over Federico Valverde and whether or not he is fit to lead the team heading into the new campaign.
Valverde was at the centre of controversy last season after a brawl with Aurelien Tchouameni. He also played a key role in leading revolts against Xabi Alonso and Marcelo Bielsa in the Uruguay team.
Real Madrid made him one of the captains nonetheless, and the decision seems to be working quite well, as the player has found himself a real niche under new coach Jose Mourinho.
Mourinho’s extension on the field
As reported by Diario AS, Valverde has effectively become Mourinho’s extension on the pitch during Real Madrid’s opening two league games.
In both matches, whenever the Portuguese wanted to make a tactical adjustment, it was Valverde who approached the bench to receive the instructions before relaying them to his teammates.
After Carlos Espi’s winner against Espanyol and Kylian Mbappe’s second against Real Sociedad, it was the Uruguayan whom Mourinho turned to.
Mourinho made his intentions clear before the Real Sociedad game, stating he wanted Valverde operating as a midfielder rather than out wide, and the captain has thrived in that more central role.
Valverde has taken charge of securing the team defensively, forming a promising partnership alongside Bernardo Silva that offers both control and balance.
The numbers back him up
Valverde’s performances have been reflected in his statistics, with the Uruguayan earning an average rating of 8 on Flashscore across the two games.
He registered pass accuracy of 93% and 97% respectively, while against Espanyol he won four duels and struck the post from outside the box.
His display against Real Sociedad was even more complete, featuring an assist, two key passes, a shot on target, three duels won and a 100% success rate in his take-ons.
Having inherited the armband following Dani Carvajal’s departure, Valverde now carries the added weight of leadership.
But on this early evidence, both on and off the pitch, he looks perfectly suited to the role Mourinho has entrusted him with.
Real Madrid News
Jose Mourinho was always clear about getting rid of Real Madrid midfielder this summer – report
Real Madrid’s summer transfer window was largely successful, not only in terms of securing key arrivals but also in terms of letting go of players who had no place in the dynamics.
One player who stood out in the second category was Dani Ceballos as the Spanish midfielder was frozen out of Real Madrid’s starting dynamics for several years before his eventual departure.
In the end, the club simply let the player leave as a free agent by accepting a contract termination as they saw the salary space freed as a win compared to his presence.
Mourinho’s clear stance
As confirmed in a recent report by Diario AS, Real Madrid’s new manager Jose Mourinho has no doubt that he did not count on Ceballos for the ongoing season.
Being the straightforward communicator that he is, the Portuguese manager directly informed Ceballos that he did not count on him in any capacity, speaking out loud about a fact that was known as an open secret for a long time.
Having clarity that his situation at the club was not going to change, Ceballos pressed to leave and eventually had his way as the club allowed him to walk out of the front door with no transfer fee.
Times were tense
The Spanish outlet also add that the decision to let the player leave with a contract termination was not easy for Real Madrid to accept, especially given that it is a last resort.
In the negotiations between Ceballos and the Real Madrid hierarchy, there were some moments filled with tension and disagreements.
In fact, there was even an initial exit agreement that was reached which was cancelled in the hope of a better outcome.
Eventually, however, both parties reached a fitting resolution and Real Madrid enabled the player’s departure without any hurdles and Ceballos went on to join Real Betis.
Even that move required the player to take a massive cut on his salary, but the saga worked out well for both clubs as the player. From Real Madrid’s perspective, the space created on the team’s roster was worth its weight in gold.
