After an unbeaten run of seven matches, the first cracks in Xabi Alonso's Real Madrid have started to show. First, on Saturday, a painful defeat against their arch-rivals (besides Barcelona) Atlético de Madrid, 5-2. Then, this week, what sounded (at least according to some outlets) like a rift between the manager Xabi Alonso and Fede Valverde, one of the frequently more consistent players, trusted by Alonso and Ancelotti before him (the player with more minutes of playtime in the last two seasons in the squad).
Before Tuesday's match against Kairat Almaty in the Champions League, Valverde was surprisingly honest on a press conference. Perhaps too honest: "I wasn't born to play full-back, I didn't grow up learning in that position, and it was an emergency", he said of his expected part as right-back, given the absences of Carvajal and Alexander-Arnold. But then, he was unexpectedly left out of the starting eleven, and he didn't take part in the substitutions.
After that, sports media in Spain are already talking about a rift between the player and the manager, with headlines overshadowing the 5-0 victory over the Kazakh team.
Trying to extinguish the fire, Valverde posted on X defending himself, his compromise with the team, and claiming he has a good relationship with the manager.
<social>https://x.com/fedeevalverde/status/1973374318634533271</social>
"I have a good relationship with the coach, makes me feel confident", says Valverde
"I know I've had bad games, I'm aware of it. I'm not hiding, and I face the criticism head-on. I'm truly sad. People can say many things about me, but under no circumstances can they say that I refuse to play", Valverde wrote on X. "I have given everything and more for this club, I've played while fractured, injured, and I've never complained or asked for a break."
Valverde's words insinuate that, if the controversy started it was precisely because he trusts Xabi Alonso. "I have a good relationship with the coach, which makes me feel confident enough to tell him which position I prefer on the field, but I always, always made it clear that I'm available to perform anywhere, on any trip, and in every game."
"I've left my heart and soul in this club and I will continue to do so, even if sometimes it's not enough or I'm not playing as I'd like. I swear on my pride that I will never give up and will fight until the end, playing wherever I'm needed."
On his part, Alonso said that the choice of leaving Valverde out of the team on Tuesday was made before that press conference, and he chose to give him some rest.
Do you think there was ever a confrontation between Fede Valverde and Xabi Alonso?