Over the last few years, Federico Valverde has seen his importance in this Real Madrid team increase dramatically. This is particularly the case as Modric is no longer an automatic starter, Kroos has already retired, and the Uruguayan is now one of the most senior members of the team’s midfield.
He has also proven himself to be indispensable for Carlo Ancelotti in the last two seasons, as he is the most used player in the squad, and rarely gets any rest.
As MARCA has reported, the Uruguayan appeared in an interview with France Football, in which talked about different aspects of his life at Real Madrid.
Having been a part of the Merengue’s first team since 2018, the midfielder has experienced a high variety of emotions with Real Madrid. But most of his time has been spent under two coaches, Zinedine Zidane and Carlo Ancelotti. In this interview, one of the subjects he commented upon was the style of these two trainers:
“It’s the same way of seeing football, of talking to us, and of conveying the plans. The same level of demand as well. They know each player they manage perfectly. Plus, they constantly give off good vibes.”
The €130 million-rated midfielder identified one aspect that he would like to improve in his playing style:
“It’s absolutely necessary for me to maintain my intensity, my way of always wanting to give my all, the Uruguayan way, but while showing calm and mental clarity.”
Some of the Real Madrid forwards have faced criticism for not contributing enough to defence, but Valverde believed they did not need to do it at all the times:
“There are players who don’t need to defend (…) Personally, I don’t mind running for our attackers so they can take advantage of it. It’s good for (the forwards) to help us out from time to time, but it’s like with defenders: no one expects them to attack for the full ninety minutes.”
Valverde also highlighted one area where the Real Madrid team needed to make improvements:
“We are the best team in the world. We need to maintain this hunger. We also have to be careful with the first halves. Sometimes we step onto the field too relaxed.”
This final aspect that Valverde highlighted has been quite apparent since the start of the season. Hopefully, the team will be able to improve upon it in the coming months and ensure this does not end up costing them.