Despite the great joy of Real Madrid’s hard-fought victory over Marseille in the Champions League opener, the dressing room atmosphere was completely different, filled with tension and anxiety. Coach Xabi Alonso expressed clear displeasure with one of the team’s stars, issuing him a stern warning that could affect his future at the club.
What prompted Alonso to take such a firm stance? Which player received this warning at the Santiago Bernabéu?
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Performance under scrutiny… A major question mark over the readiness of the star midfielder
Sources close to the coaching staff revealed that the star in question is Federico Valverde, who has shown a noticeable decline in his performance since the beginning of the current season. The Spanish coach described his performance in the Marseille match as an extension of a series of poor displays that raised significant concerns within the team.
Is Valverde no longer the energetic and tactically disciplined player he was in previous seasons? This question has become the focus of discussions within the dressing room, especially with the approach of crucial competitions at both European and domestic levels.
A direct warning and a doubtful future
In a crucial internal meeting, Xabi Alonso addressed Valverde clearly in front of his teammates, saying:
“If this performance continues, you won’t find a place in the starting lineup, and exclusion will be inevitable.”
This warning, the first of its kind since Alonso took over, reflects the coach’s deep concern over the decline in the performance of a player he once considered a key figure.
Will Valverde return to his true form?
Real Madrid fans are closely following the developments, anticipating the return of the star midfielder to the level that contributed to the team’s previous successes. With the Champions League group stage underway and the challenges of La Liga continuing, the question remains: can Valverde regain his former brilliance, or will the landscape change in favor of other options in the team’s lineup?
