Real Madrid News
Valverde, Rodrygo reflect on Atletico 1-2 Real Madrid: “We have responded on the field”
Real Madrid finally broke to jinx of playing Atletico Madrid away from home, this time beating their cross-town rivals 2-1 in what was a rather high-octane contest.
The white side of Madrid arrived in the contest on the back of one defeat and two draws against Atletico in their last three away league fixtures. As it turned out, the intensity Carlo Ancelotti’s men showed proved to be the difference as Los Blancos scored two goals inside the first half.
Rodrygo opened the scoring in the 18th minute followed by a goal from Federico Valverde in the 36th minute. This was the Uruguayan’s third consecutive goal as he took his tally to four across all competitions, justifying the target Carlo Ancelotti has set for the player.
Speaking after the match, the Uruguayan, who was recently named the Best Uruguayan Athlete of the year, appraised his attacking partners Vinicius Jr and Rodrygo, saying that the duo was ‘spectacular’.
“It was difficult for us to grab the ball from the start, we knew that they were going to put pressure on us, but with the minutes we came into play, we found spaces and Rodrygo and Vini were spectacular in creating chances,” he said. (h/t Realmadrid.com).
“It’s one of the qualities I have, breaking lines driving. We knew that they turned a lot to one side to press and with a good drive we took advantage of the play to score the first.”
Valverde explained why Real didn’t go for scoring more goals in the second period, saying that sometimes you need some rest after going two goals up. “You always have to go for more. In the second part, we played a lot with the result,” explained the Uruguayan.
“When you are two goals ahead, sometimes you rest a bit and it shouldn’t happen because if we had finished more plays, we could have scored the third and it hurt us. In the end, we ended up fitting in and went back,” he added.
The 24-year-old took a knock on the knee on the night. Speaking about it, he mentioned that he is absolutely fine and that there is nothing to worry about.
“I received a hit on the knee, it felt loose in a jump and a play, but as the minutes went by it went away. I’m fine and tomorrow I’ll go to the national team,” he said.
Meanwhile, another goalscorer, Rodrygo, opened up about several things, including the influence and absence of Karim Benzema. He said that despite being injured, the Frenchman is still a fundamental piece of the team and it’s simply impossible to replace him.
“It’s impossible to replace Karim, but I try and I’m doing well. It’s a new role because I don’t do Karim’s things. I do some different things and we have changed our play,” he added.
The 21-year-old, who has now scored three goals in four La Liga appearances, added that playing in a derby against Atletico Madrid was a special experience and that he is happy about his early scoring streak.
“The derby is special. I am very happy to have scored and helped in the victory. I had the confidence of the coach. What has changed is that last season I scored the goals at the end. Now I’ve started better and I want to continue like this until the end,” he said.
“It was a different match. The derbies are important, but today was different because of what happened this week. We have responded on the field. I’m happy to play well and have scored.”
Sunday’s win over Atletico was Real’s sixth successive win in the ongoing La Liga season. Heading into the international break, the defending La Liga champions are leading the chart with 18 points, two points ahead of second-placed Barcelona.
“We are happy with how we started the season. We have won all the games and now we are going to the national team with the break. We have to rest and come back better after going with the national team,” explained the Brazilian.
Rodrygo concluded with a simple statement on his compatriot Vinicius Jr, saying that playing alongside his countryman even in club football is an absolute pleasure.
“It’s a pleasure to play with Vini Jr. and it’s special that he’s there,” he concluded.
Real Madrid News
Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr. admits finishing problem after another frustrating night vs Elche: ‘Can’t miss that much’
Vinicius Jr.’s difficult start in front of goal continued against Elche, and the Real Madrid forward did not need anyone to tell him he had missed another chance to make the difference.
The Brazilian finished the night without a goal despite having chances to get on the scoresheet, while his teammates could only watch from the bench as opportunities went begging.
Jose Mourinho had already identified the problem before kick-off, bluntly pointing to the issue facing his forward, stating, “He’s missing the goal.”
Vini offered an equally frank assessment afterwards.
Rather than hide from another frustrating evening, he accepted responsibility on social media: “The goals will come back; I can’t miss that much…”
Two chances, no finish for Vinicius
Vinicius had two particularly clear openings against Elche, but neither produced the finish Real Madrid needed from their star forward.
The first arrived when he found himself one-on-one with the opposition goalkeeper.
Instead of finding the net, Vinicius caught the ball with the tip of his foot and sent his effort wide. Arda Guler was available during the move and called for the ball, but Vini backed himself to finish the chance.
He had another opportunity after the interval, this time following an excellent pass from Guler during a quick Real Madrid transition. Again, though, Vinicius could not find the target.
His evening ended in the 68th minute, with Mourinho deciding the Brazilian was tired and turning his attention towards Sunday’s Atletico Madrid derby.
Mourinho has a bigger decision to make
The numbers show why Vinicius’ finishing has become a talking point. He managed five shots against Elche, but only one was on target and none found the net.
After seven appearances this season, the Brazilian has scored just once, which is a striking return for a player Real Madrid rely upon to provide a major share of their attacking threat.
Ultimately, though, Real Madrid found another route to victory, with Arda Guler, Kylian Mbappe and Carlos Espi providing the goals in the 3-2 comeback.
Mokgothu Leboko
September 19, 2022 at 4:17 pm
This boy Federico Valverde is playing a good football that has been a very scarce thing to see.what he impress me about,is to drive a ball from his half of field and endup making useful results about it,either helping to score or scoring himself.And I have in few occasions he would pass a loose ball which needs his teammates to read it but unfortunately they seem to be unaware of his intentions.
Real Madrid need to take care of this player,he will make wonders in the future.If there could be players at Real Madrid who could run I n space most of clubs would suffer from the passes of Valverde.
Keep it up Valverde,I like your play.