Real Madrid: Casemiro, Fede Valverde could form an elite partnership

The key to Real Madrid’s success in 2019-2020 could lie in the middle of the park, which is why the burgeoning partnership between Casemiro and Fede Valverde is a major positive as Los Blancos emerge from the October international break.

Fede Valverde had something of a breakout performance on Matchday 8 against Granada, bossing the midfield alongside invaluable defensive midfielder Casemiro. Led by the midfield trio of Valverde, Casemiro, and either Toni Kroos or Luka Modric, Real Madrid picked up all three points, winning 4-2 over a Granada team that was in-form and in second place in the table.

Real Madrid fans can finally feel truly optimistic about their midfield, and this optimism couldn’t come at a better time. Arch rivals Barcelona beckon on Oct. 26 at Camp Nou, as La Blaugrana have returned to second place in La Liga with a healthy Lionel Messi.

That Los Blancos are in first in La Liga is a huge accomplishment, given the number of injuries they’ve sustained to their midfield. Isco, James Rodriguez, and Luka Modric have only recently recovered from injuries. Fede Valverde was once out, and now Toni Kroos will miss a couple of games before El Clasico due to an injury in that win over Granada.

But in addition to the injuries, Real fans were concerned about the steel in midfield. They seemed to rely an awful lot on Casemiro to supply the running, tackling, and box-to-box play in midfield. Now that they are older, Kroos and Modric are not only higher injury risks than before, but they’re also better off in more advanced roles; we’ve seen that much thus far in 2019-2020.

So Real needed someone to emerge as a legitimate No. 8 – or even a backup No. 6 option – alongside Casemiro. That’s why Madrid have been so smitten with Valverde’s performance against Granada. It seems like Real have finally found their man, and he comes in the form of a player once regarded as among the elite midfield prospects in world football.

Valverde had three ball recoveries that directly led to Real Madrid’s first three goals, including a hard-fought assist for Eden Hazard’s cheeky first goal in a White kit. He was also a rock defensively, barely getting dribbled past by Granada, which played a key role in the visitors being unable to unlock Real’s defense for about an hour. In fact, Granada’s lone goals were from a penalty caused by a defensive miscue and a poorly-marked corner.

Real’s midfield cover has been called into question a couple of times this season, specifically in their two poor Champions League performances. But against Granada, Valverde and Casemiro showed that Real just might have one of the most well-rounded partnerships in midfield. These two engines simply never stop running and tackling, with Casemiro currently leading all La Liga players in combined tackles and interceptions.

Casemiro’s greatness and vitality to Real Madrid’s overall success is no surprise. Coming into the season, everyone knew that he, Sergio Ramos, and Karim Benzema would be the team’s three most important players.

But some of the pressure has been eased off of Casemiro’s shoulders due to Valverde’s promising displays. Not only did he produce a Man of the Match performance against Granada, but he was also involved on the pitch in Real’s three straight clean sheets (within the span of a week) against Atletico Madrid, Sevilla, and Osasuna.

Talk about making an impact.

When Real Madrid leaves the October break, the attention will be squarely fixed on Fede Valverde, whose continued progression will be the biggest X-Factor in Real’s La Liga title aspirations and their desire to improve in Zinedine Zidane’s trademark competition – the UEFA Champions League.

Real will face Galatasaray for the first time in the group stages later this month, seeking their first win in the competition. Something tells me that if Valverde gets the start now that he’s established himself as a regular with his match against Granada, Real will see an immediate turnaround in their defensive performance in European competition.