AS usual with Real Madrid at the moment, there was no shortage of storylines from Saturday’s 4-2 La Liga win over Granada, which kept Zinedine Zidane’s side top of the La Liga standings through the international break.
Eden Hazard’s first La Liga goal was much celebrated, while back-up goalkeeper Alfonse Areola’s mistake to allow Granada back into the game further deepened Zidane's issues in nets.
But the real lesson of the 90 minutes was young midfielder Fede Valverde's man of the match performance, which included winning the ball back in the Granada half right before both Madrid’s second and third goals.
We need to talk about Fede Valverde. Isco’s been with us since forever, but never could break into the XI. Fede comes around and looks like the chosen one to replace Modrić. Somehow, the kid is in the frame at all times.
— Xav Salazar (@XavsFutbol) October 5, 2019
After providing the thrust and energy which the team has often lacked as they have stumbled through much of last season and some of the current campaign, the Uruguay international drew special praise from Zidane afterwards.
“I'm happy for Fede,” the former galactico said. “He deserves it, he's improving, he's doing exceptionally well. He's always moving forward, he wants to get on the ball and he had a hand in the goals.”
Madrid-based pundits have also been full of praise of a player who is generally popular among the fanbase. In Monday’s AS the youngster was compared to both Paul Pogba and Steven Gerrard amid claims that the 90 minutes against Granada “could change his life”.
This was perhaps going a bit far in praise of a player who has yet to really make a mark at the top level. His set-up for Hazard’s goal was a first assist in 61 appearances to date with Madrid’s first team and a season on loan at Deportivo La Coruna, while he has yet to find the net in La Liga or the Copa del Rey.
It’s also true that the 21 year old has usually looked to be playing within himself, not trying too much, and maybe a bit overawed to be featuring alongside such luminaries as Luka Modric and Toni Kroos. Maybe some time in the limelight himself will help El Pajarito [the little bird] take on more responsibility to make things happen for Madrid – and he does have two goals in 16 senior internationals with more expected of him in the Uruguay set-up.
Valverde’s athleticism and ‘box to box’ characteristics are just what Zidane wanted for the side when he made Pogba his main [thwarted] objective of last summer’s transfer window. The long term idea was to replace Modric with a player who covered more ground, and also to evolve Madrid’s style by making them more direct and better at pressing in the opposition half.
Valverde was immense against Granada both in defense (won back more balls) and attack (involved in 2 goals including assisting Hazard). He was the engine against Granada. Fede recovered 9 balls and made 3 tackles in Madrid’s half and won them all. [as] pic.twitter.com/XRlVpen8kS
— SB (@Realmadridplace) October 6, 2019
Just last week Zidane gave us as close as the guarded Frenchman is likely to disclose about the key to his ‘coaching philosophy’ when he said that: “Modern football is about transitions, when you win the ball back, you have to [quickly] damage your opponent.” There were echoes of that in further praise he gave to Valverde on Saturday.
“Fede is a modern player, with a fantastic engine,” he said. “Not only in attack, because he puts in just as much work in defence too. That's important in today's football. I'm delighted for him, he's getting game time and he deserves it.”
That raised the question of whether the inexhaustible Valverde is even more valuable to the current Madrid team than Pogba [or Gerrard in his prime] would have been. While both bigger names were guarantees of more individual genius – and goals and assists – they are / were perhaps less reliable with their positional awareness and defensive diligence.
“I try to bring what I can and do my best,” Valverde said modestly in the Bernabeu mixed zone on Saturday. “I will always run until I drop. We played well today, the boss [Zidane] gives me confidence. We work on pressing in the opposition half with him.”
Back in Uruguay ahead of their home and away friendlies against Peru, Valverde suggested Zidane was helping him step out of the shadows of his higher-profile club colleagues.
“I must just keep going like everyone else in the squad, and not be behind anyone,” he said. “At the start it was tough for me to have a conversation with some of my teammates. [Zidane] just asks me to play in games as I do in training. When a coach gives you this confidence it helps you a lot.”
Further news from the weekend was an adductor injury which means that Kroos could miss Madrid’s now crunch Champions League Group A game at Galatasaray on Tuesday October 22 and the following Saturday's La Liga Clasico. Casemiro would also miss that Camp Nou game should he be booked in Madrid’s next La Liga game, at improving RCD Mallorca after the international break.
It all means that – in the short term at least – Valverde’s first completed 90 minutes of the season really has “changed his life”. Assuming he returns fit from Uruguay duty, El Pajarito will be asked to take flight in what looks a crucial period of Madrid’s season.
