Real Madrid: What can we expect from Fede Valverde this season?

Fede Valverde is a special talent. In my opinion, he’s one of the best young midfielders in the world, and any club would be more than lucky to have a player like him. Real Madrid were lucky enough to recognise his talent, and were smart enough to keep hold of him no matter what.

Valverde had a bench role in the 2018-19 season. He showed flashes of greatness, but he never got consistent playing time or a proper role to show what he can truly do. In 2019-20, Zidane truly helped him burst into the scene, with one good performance after the other.

Valverde was everywhere, both on the pitch and on the lips of the media. Everyone was drooling over the fact that Real Madrid have a gem in their hands. His burst of pace, his tireless-ness and just the knack for doing everything it takes to win just won the hearts of fans all over the world.

Last season wasn’t as good, but it wasn’t solely because of him. He still had some great performances, but he didn’t do much because he dealt with injuries and his counterparts were doing too well to be benched. Toni Kroos and Luka Modric had incredible performances week in and week out, and were too crucial for the team at that stage.

But he still had some good performances, like against Barcelona in both league games, and he showed that he’s still the same player.

What can we expect from Federico Valverde at Real Madrid this season?

Well, to be honest, I’m very excited to see Valverde back in action. I cannot wait, because he’s a special player. He’s one of my favorite players in the whole team, and there’s just something about him that strikes out. It’s the way he plays, the way he fights for every ball, every duel; the way he presses his opponents. It doesn’t matter if it’s the ninth minute or the 90th, he does it as if his life depends on it, and there aren’t many players that do that.

I think we can see an uptick in the Uruguayan’s gametime this season, granted that he stays fit throughout the campaign. As we know, Luka Modric and Toni Kroos — although are undoubted starters — are edging towards the end of their respective careers, and you would need someone to help out when they rest. That someone can very well be Valverde. He was that guy in the 2019-20 season, and I don’t see why he can’t do that now.

His versatility is an underrated factor of his game, and I won’t be surprised if we see him play as a defensive midfielder in a double-pivot with someone like Toni Kroos or even David Alaba. He defends well and keeps his position.

Don’t be surprised if you see a midfield of Alaba, Valverde and Martin Odegaard this season sometimes. There will be times when the preferred midfield trio would have to rest, and this is a great midfield to have as back-up, to be honest.

Valverde has shown that he’s good (although not as effective) playing as a wide midfielder, or a right sided midfielder in a four-man setup. So, I wouldn’t count that one out either, although it looks unlikely because Ancelotti generally doesn’t go for a four-man midfield.

This is going to be a very interesting season, and I genuinely can’t wait to see some of the players perform, and Federico Valverde is one of them.