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Coach’s dream Valverde leaves Alonso purring
- Federico Valverde was the top performer in Real Madrid's 1-0 win over Juventus
- Midfielder is thriving in Xabi Alonso's new-look set-up
- Valverde: " Wearing this badge comes with a duty to win"
He had just collected the Michelob ULTRA Superior Player of the Match award and shared his post-match musings with the journalists who swarmed around him.
The sweat was dripping from his weary brow, and he was still fully clad in the strip in which he had skippered Real Madrid C. F. to a 1-0 victory over Juventus FC to secure the Spanish side’s spot in the FIFA Club World Cup™ quarter-finals. As he gripped tightly onto the treasured trophy, he mustered a beaming, fatigue-defying smile. Federico Valverde was very much the man of the moment.
A few seconds later, Real Madrid President Florentino Pérez made a beeline towards him and enquired: “Can I have a photo with you?” The Casa Blanca chief was in the company of club legend and honorary president Pirri. The trio posed as the moment was captured for posterity before exchanging a few words in a scene that oozed unbridled joy.
Speaking to FIFA after having been named the standout performer in the round-of-16 tussle, Valverde commented: “I’m really delighted. I’m pleased for the team as a whole and for my team-mates. I dedicate this award to them. Although the trophy might be heading home with me, it’s all down to them. I couldn’t be any happier.”
In reference to the side’s ambitions at FIFA’s groundbreaking club showpiece, the Montevideo-born virtuoso made no secret about the target: “As always, we’re looking to go all the way. Wearing this badge comes with a duty to win every competition we’re involved in. We have to win every title and battle hard to lift trophies. It’s a pleasure to represent this club.”
After having ousted Juve, Los Merengues are now set for a blockbuster last-eight bout against Borussia Dortmund, who squeezed past CF Monterrey, at MetLife Stadium in New York New Jersey on Saturday.
The 26-year-old is Real Madrid’s orchestrator-in-chief and is rapidly carving out a reputation as a coach’s dream. In his post-match press conference, the current incumbent of the Santiago Bernabéu hot seat was fulsome in his praise of his dependable captain: “He clearly makes my life a whole lot easier. He’s a top player, is strong in all departments and has virtually no weaknesses in his game. He’s an on-field leader, and he gees his team-mates up when we’re in and out of possession. He’s one of the best players around, and I’m delighted to be working with so many stars, particularly with Fede.”
With Alonso now a little over a month into his tenure at the club he served with distinction during his playing days, there have been minimal changes to the pieces in the puzzle, but the final result is proving to be somewhat different. In the space of just four outings, which have served up moments that have spanned the distinctly average, the good and the downright impressive, there has been an identifiable change in tack when compared to Carlo Ancelotti’s trophy-laden spell at the helm.
Alonso’s blueprint is flexible and enables the team to adapt to a range of scenarios and opposition. In the early days of his reign, the La Liga powerhouses, who have serious designs on the coveted Club World Cup crown, have lined up with different formations (4-3-3, 4-2-2 and 3-5-2) and personnel, but several hallmarks of the Basque coach’s philosophy have shone through regardless.
By way of example, against the Bianconeri, the former Bayer Leverkusen boss could be seen desperately urging his charges to push higher up the pitch. At several points of the encounter, some members of the Real Madrid backline (which initially comprised Dean Huijsen, Aurélien Tchouaméni and Antonio Rüdiger before the Frenchman slotted into midfield) occupied positions inside the Juve half. That strategy reflects Alonso’s desire for his side to regain possession as close to the opposition’s goal as possible.
The fact that there is so little ground between Real Madrid’s defenders and frontmen means that the players have a limited area to cover when applying the press and in which to circulate the ball. In the system, Valverde, who during his time at the Spanish capital club has been asked to play in various positions (right-back, central midfielder, right-sided central midfielder and right winger), acts as an engine-room fulcrum who operates as part of the double pivot alongside Arda Guler.
The Turkish prodigy’s focus is on distributing the play, while the Uruguayan is tasked with pressing, regaining possession, leading by example and driving the side forward. As if that weren’t enough, in the match against the Turin titans, he also looked to pose a threat on goal, unleashing a number of worthy long-range efforts, and he would have netted a headline-hogging overhead kick had it not been for Michele Di Gregorio’s agility in the Juventus goal.
Valverde, who checked in at Real Madrid in July 2016 from boyhood outfit Penarol – initially turning out for the club’s second string before being promoted to the first team two years later – has lifted 12 trophies during his time with the Chamartín-based side. “I’m feeling good and very much at home. As a team, we feel like the shackles have really been taken off. On a mental and physical level, we feel far happier to be winning the ball back closer to the opposition’s goal, which gives us more opportunities to attack and score more goals,” Valverde told FIFA.
Following the departures of seasoned campaigners Karim Benzema, Marcelo and Nacho, and with Dani Carvajal working his way back to fitness and Luka Modrić biding his time on the bench, Valverde has made the skipper’s armband his own.
“I’m proud and over the moon to be captain. We have to make the most of the fact that Xabi Alonso has won so much, firstly as a player and now as a coach, to drive us on. We must take full advantage of everything the coaching staff have to offer. I have to carry on quietly going about my business and continue to be a role model for my team-mates. When you’re captain of this club, you have to carry yourself in a different way,” Valverde told DAZN.
If the early signs under Alonso are anything to go by, the Uruguayan midfield maestro is more than staking his claim to lead this Real Madrid side for years to come.
