Real Madrid News
Real Madrid midfielder to become the club captain despite horrendous World Cup campaign
Federico Valverde was one of the most talked-about players in the Real Madrid camp at the end of last season, when he got into a locker room brawl with Aurelien Tchouameni.
This was followed by a forgettable World Cup campaign with Uruguay, with Valverde failing to lead his nation to the Round of 16, falling behind Cabo Verde and Spain.
Following Uruguay’s early exit, Valverde is set to return to the Santiago Bernabeu this summer, hoping to make amends under the leadership of Jose Mourinho.
Real Madrid have faith in Valverde
According to AS, despite the turbulence of the past few months, Real Madrid continue to regard Valverde as an essential part of their project.
With Dani Carvajal having departed the club this summer, Valverde is set to become Real Madrid’s first-choice captain. It represents a major show of trust in the Uruguayan, who will now be expected to lead the dressing room through a new era under Mourinho.
The decision is particularly notable given everything that has unfolded. Valverde’s bust-up with Tchouameni was one of the lowest points of Real Madrid’s season, with the incident escalating over two days before culminating in the Frenchman being hospitalised.
Both players were fined half a million euros, yet the club have clearly decided to move forward with Valverde as a central figure.
It must be noted that the midfielder also endured strained relationships with several coaches. He was identified as one of Xabi Alonso’s internal rivals and was a focal point of the Bernabeu’s frustration following Alonso’s dismissal.
His relationship with Uruguay boss Marcelo Bielsa also broke down, with Valverde among the players who confronted the coach before the decisive World Cup match against Spain.
A key role under Mourinho
Despite all of this, Mourinho appears ready to build around the Uruguayan. The Portuguese coach plans to give Valverde a central role in a Real Madrid side expected to focus more heavily on counter-attacking football and exploiting space.
There is even a silver lining to Uruguay’s early World Cup exit. With both Valverde and Tchouameni eliminated, the pair will be able to return for pre-season almost from the very start, giving Mourinho the chance to integrate them into his plans early.
For Valverde, this summer will be very crucial as he looks to earn back the trust of Real Madrid fans and, most importantly, start on a good note with new manager Mourinho, who has full confidence in the 27-year-old.
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.
