Latest news with #FedeValverde
The Sun
09-07-2025
- Sport
- The Sun
PSG vs Real Madrid LIVE SCORE: Calamity defending sees Blancos fall apart as Fabian scores twice and Dembele strikes
PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN scored twice in EIGHT minutes as calamity Real Madrid defending saw them fall apart in the Club World Cup semi-final! Raul Asencio and Antonio Rudiger both made huge mistakes as Fabian Ruiz and Ousmane Dembele scored, before Fabian scored AGAIN. England star Trent Alexander-Arnold was due to start but pulled out at the last minute after a setback in training, with Fede Valverde coming in for Real Madrid. The winner will face Chelsea, who beat Fluminense on Tuesday night, in a massive final on Sunday night. WATCH EVERY MATCH OF THE CLUB WORLD CUP 2025 LIVE ON DAZN Today, 18:46 By Tom Sheen Good evening - Trent OUT! Good evening and welcome to live coverage of the Club World Cup semi-final between Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid. A place in Sunday's final against Chelsea is up for grabs - but there's already some major breaking news from the MetLife Stadium. Trent Alexander-Arnold will MISS the game tonight after he suffered a setback in training. Fede Valverde will start in his place for Xabi Alonso.
The Sun
09-07-2025
- Sport
- The Sun
PSG vs Real Madrid LIVE SCORE: Latest from Club World Cup semi as Trent PULLS OUT of starting XI at last minute
TRENT ALEXANDER-ARNOLD will MISS the Club World Cup semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain. England star Trent was due to start but pulled out at the last minute after a setback in training, with Fede Valverde coming in for Real Madrid. Xabi Alonso's side face European champions Paris Saint-Germain in a massive semi-final, with a place in Sunday's final at stake. The winner will face Chelsea, who beat Fluminense on Tuesday night. just now By Tom Sheen Good evening - Trent OUT! Good evening and welcome to live coverage of the Club World Cup semi-final between Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid. A place in Sunday's final against Chelsea is up for grabs - but there's already some major breaking news from the MetLife Stadium. Trent Alexander-Arnold will MISS the game tonight after he suffered a setback in training. Fede Valverde will start in his place for Xabi Alonso.
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Xabi Alonso gives insight on how he will improve Arda Guler and Aurelien Tchouameni's role
Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso has revealed how he intends to improve Arda Guler, as he adapts to a new role in the middle of midfield. The Turkish teenager has to a degree been handed the reins of the team with the ball at his feet, but there have been question marks over how he will respond without the ball. The 20-year-old has looked content, and performed well so far in the Club World Cup, securing a starting spot alongside Jude Bellingham and Fede Valverde in midfield. Alonso acknowledged that Guler might not have the physical capacity to battle with others for the ball defensively, but explained how he would be working with him to improve his work without possession. Advertisement 'Try to anticipate rather than be reactive. If the position is better, you get to the duel sooner and you don't have to beat them physically. We know Arda will make mistakes during this learning process, but he'll also do good thinks.' 'It's also a time to invest in a process, in Arda's development. He's doing well, and we keep pushing him. We want him gain experience, mature, and be able to make mistakes. Let him accept them because they're part of his development if we want to have a strong Arda in that area.' Image via Real Madrid CF Midfield debate at Real Madrid Whether Real Madrid need a specialist at the base of midfield is an ongoing debate both in the media and internally at the Santiago Bernabeu. Aurelien Tchouameni, one of the players that could play there, has been used in the back three though. Alonso explained that he had not earmarked Tchouameni for that role, but has stood out for ability to adapt. Advertisement 'I'd seen him a lot, but in the end, you have to get to know him. He has the ability to adapt; he's very intelligent when it comes to understanding concepts. His position is very important to me, so we can be strong in the middle.' Tchouameni can play 'hybrid' role One of the details that stood out against Juventus was Tchouameni's move forward in the second, closer to midfield. That allowed Los Blancos more control of the game, and Alonso was asked about what nuances he has been adding to the Frenchman's game. 'Time is very short. I think Aurelien can be a hybrid, one way at one stage and another way at another. That richness gives us more options.' Image via Getty Images / Goal Advertisement Flexibility is the name of the game for Alonso It is the second time that Alonso has expressly mentioned a tactical 'richness' that he seeks through certain players, or the ability to change shape. In his first press conference at the Bernabeu, Alonso also stated that he wanted his side to be flexible across games, and able to adapt to situations. That will be on show again as Los Blancos take on Borussia Dortmund in the Club World Cup quarter-final on Saturday night at 22:00 CEST.
The Guardian
03-07-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Xabi Alonso relishes value of Valverde – with idol Gerrard his role model
Fede Valverde once said that he could spend all day watching Steven Gerrard play; his coach sometimes feels like he still is, and no one is better placed to see it or make it so. Xabi Alonso had been in charge at Real Madrid for just two games when he said that the Uruguayan reminded him of his former partner in the Liverpool midfield. ' I haven't seen many players with his physical performance,' he said. 'I'm very happy to be coaching him. Every manager would like a Valverde on the team.' Coming from Alonso, it was quite the compliment. There was always something special between him and the Liverpool captain. Gerrard described the Spaniard as 'pure quality, a class act on the pitch and a gentlemen off it,' and was 'devastated' at his departure, writing: 'I missed you every day from the moment you left.' Alonso said that Gerrard was the better player, the man with whom he won the European Cup, scoring six minutes apart, and shared the Istanbul kiss that inspired endless fan fiction; the man he once called 'my hero, my mate'. In truth, it is also not entirely new. Valverde is 26 now, no unknown kid, and there has always been something of Gerrard about him which didn't go unnoticed. He is the player to whom Toni Kroos gave his No 8 shirt and that Carlo Ancelotti described as the most important in the team, a man whose only flaw was that he was too humble. In 2022, Ancelotti promised to tear up his licence if the Uruguayan didn't score at least 10, and he didn't have find a new profession. But as Alonso builds a new Madrid, a structure and system to make sense of it all, the early signs are that Valverde may be more Gerrard than ever, guided by a manager and former player who grasps that better than anyone. 'Fede can play anywhere,' Alonso said, but getting it right also means recognising the things he can not do, and in that too there are parallels with Gerrard. At Liverpool, it was about the balance: Javier Mascherano and Alonso did the things Gerrard couldn't, allowing him to do the things he could. His game was not about positioning, controlling the timing, the flow; in that sense, Alonso always understood, Gerrard wasn't a great midfielder. But release him and he was as good as it gets. 'Physically, technically, being able to make special moments,' Alonso said. 'Alonso used to allow me to play as a No 10, so I could get more shots on goal, more goals, more assists,' Gerrard recalled in an interview in 2023. 'Gerrard's an idol, a star, an incredible player with those diagonal passes, the shooting, busting through with the ball. I could spend 24 hours watching him,' Valverde told the Guardian two years before that. And to listen to Madrid's new coach is to hear a similar process being repeated; what he did for Gerrard as a player, can he do for Valverde as a coach? It is something he appears willing to try, encouraged to do so by qualities and by limitations too, a realism to go with the fondness. At times it can seem like Valverde has four lungs and, Ancelotti always said, everyone else benefited from him. The only person that didn't benefit from Valverde, it sometimes seemed, was Valverde, the coach asking him to be a bit more arrogant sometimes. He played much of last season at right-back, and he was good at it too. Better in fact than in the position that had seemed to be saved for him: he had taken Kroos's shirt, but could not emulate his game. Now that deep midfield position is a starting point, not a place to play. One of the most intriguing lines in Alonso's opening press conference as Madrid manager was the statement that Jude Bellingham was a midfielder, not a forward. Alonso mentioned the need for 'efficiency' in the Englishman's game, to create parameters within which to play after two seasons – the first, spectacular year in particular – where he was about arriving in the area, scoring. Now, at least to start with at this Club World Cup, both tournament and testing ground, the roles have been inverted. Bellingham is controlled, Valverde released. It is early still but habits are being formed, history repeating itself, Liverpool offering a model for Madrid. 'I see Fede in many places, like I did with Steven,' Alonso said. 'But given the shape we have and the balance we need, starting from that slightly deeper position, from the second line, that double No 6, he can arrive [in the other area]. He has that ability to accelerate through, to go through lines very easily and in 30 metres, be there [in shooting positions]. Sign up to Football Daily Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football after newsletter promotion 'We are using him in that position and it's working well. We know his qualities, we know that his best virtue is not receiving back to goal and turning but to see the game in front of him and, starting from a bit deeper [than a forward], arrive. He has scored twice and he has that ability to accelerate and get close to the area.' It is early still and the sample size is small, but no midfielder here has had more touches in the opposition area than Valverde. He is getting twice as many as he did last season: from 1.4 per game in the league and 0.7 per game in the Champions League to 3.6 per game here. Only four players have more shots, and they are all strikers. Against Juventus, Valverde took aim six times. Only Juventus keeper Michele Di Gregorio prevented him from scoring. 'I'm even doing overhead kicks now,' Valverde joked after the game. 'Before I didn't; I didn't even know how.' 'I'm happy, I'm enjoying this. I am trying to make the most of every minute, giving all my energy until my body can't give any more, like today when I asked to come off.' It was the 90th minute when he finally made way, and under the stands at the Hard Rock Stadium, a familiar name came up again. Your manager is talking about you like the player he admired most, he was told. 'I'm happy; when someone like Xabi Alonso talks about you like that, it's an honour, it makes you proud, and it encourages you to keep working,' Valverde said. 'But in the end, I'm Fede Valverde, a Uruguayan who plays for Real Madrid and is fulfilling a dream.'
Yahoo
30-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Vinicius rallying as Mbappe eyes Real Madrid return
Real Madrid's Brazilian forward Vinicius Junior impressed in the win over Salzburg that helped Los Blancos top Group H (FRANCK FIFE) One of the factors behind Real Madrid finishing the season without a major trophy was key attacker Vinicius Junior's drastic dip in form. From competing for the Ballon d'Or as Los Blancos won the Champions League and La Liga in the 2023-24 campaign, the Brazilian played well within himself as Madrid ended Carlo Ancelotti's reign second best to Catalan rivals Barcelona. Advertisement New coach Xabi Alonso was delighted to see the Brazilian winger shine brightly as Real Madrid set up Tuesday's Club World Cup last-16 clash against Juventus. If the 24-year-old is at his devastating best, along with Kylian Mbappe's impending return following a stomach bug, Madrid have the firepower they need to win the competition. Vinicius struck and created a goal for Fede Valverde with a backheel assist in the 3-0 win over Salzburg which helped Madrid seal top spot in Group H and avoid Manchester City, who have been the strongest side thus far in the United States. "I'm very happy because Vini, like any forward, needed that goal," said Alonso. Advertisement Vinicius is in a contract tussle with Real Madrid over a new deal, with the Brazilian currently on the books until 2027. "I hope I can stay here for many years. I've always said it's the club of my life," said Vinicius earlier this week. "I'm very happy with the coach and all the staff, and I hope I can stay here." Madrid need the forward to click with last summer's marquee arrival Mbappe, without sacrificing the team's defensive stability. Los Blancos face Juventus in Orlando hoping to reach the quarter-finals and may be boosted by the return of superstar striker Mbappe, who could link up with Vinicius for the first time under Alonso. Advertisement Mbappe missed all three group games and also had to go to hospital after suffering acute gastroenteritis, but has been training normally for several days. The Spanish coach believes the duo can play together, even though they had teething problems after the French forward arrived, occupying similar spaces. Mbappe eventually found top form and finished the season with 43 goals across all competitions, while Vinicius netted 22 times without getting close to his very best level. "They can do it, Vini from the outside, Kylian from the inside... it's not mutually exclusive, things can work, there's individual quality, but we need the team to function," explained Alonso. Advertisement - 'Sacrifices' - Alonso has explained that no player in the Real Madrid starting line-up is free of defensive duties. Last season Ancelotti lined up regularly with Vinicius, Mbappe, Jude Bellingham and Rodrygo Goes in the side and Madrid paid the price at the back. "What I am certain of is that we need and want everyone to defend -- the 11 players on the pitch have to be involved defensively," said Alonso before the Salzburg game. The coach was impressed with Vinicius' work ethic against the Austrians. "Aside from the goals, I was also really happy with the work he put in," added Alonso. Advertisement "He helped to defend, he made sacrifices, he stayed connected with the team, didn't switch off, and that's very important to me." Alonso will hope Vinicius continues in that vein as Mbappe prepares to make his return, possibly from the bench against Juventus. Even though the Alonso era is just beginning, the Juve clash and potential quarter-final tie against Borussia Dortmund or Monterrey will be an early test for how the coach can handle utilising both star names together. rbs/mw
