Real Madrid midfielder Fede Valverde was one of the surprise changes at half-time during their 3-1 defeat to AC Milan on Tuesday night, alongside Aurelien Tchouameni. The former was ruled out for a month after the match, and Ancelotti said that Valverde was also struggling for fitness, but the Uruguayan disputes that idea.
Valverde’s wife Mina Bonino criticised Ancelotti’s decision to take off Valverde, later deleting the tweet and claiming she was hacked during the game. Nevertheless, the criticism for Ancelotti was relayed to the Italian during his press conference, and Ancelotti explained that he was dealing with a back issue, hence the change.
Carlo Ancelotti is not happy with his side's current performances. #RealMadrid pic.twitter.com/n5hx38AmIS
— Football España (@footballespana_) November 7, 2024
However Cadena Cope claim that Valverde was baffled by these comments, and felt fine during the game. They say it is a “lie” that he has back problems, and does not understand why news is being leaked that he does, as was the case on Wednesday.
Given the tense atmosphere at the club, and by all accounts in the dressing room, Ancelotti can ill-afford to be alienating his best players and his leaders. Valverde, like all of Real Madrid’s midfielders, has suffered this season, but arguably remains the most reliable at Ancelotti’s disposal. Often starting at the base of midfield, the 26-year-old has been omnipresent since Ancelotti returned to the club.
