Fede Valverde was instrumental in Real Madrid’s 2-1 over Benfica on Wednesday, providing both assists in Madrid’s victory. His cutback pass to find Aurélien Tchouaméni at the top of the box led to Madrid’s first goal in the 16th minute and his duel won and ball recovery inside the center circle preceded his pass to Vinicius for Madrid’s second goal in the 80th minute. The Uruguayan now has two goals and 12 assists (7 in La Liga where he is currently tied with Arda Güler for third most in the Spanish
league) this season, the first time Valverde has reached double digits in assists with the Madrid jersey and impressively doing so in only 38 matches.
Fede Valverde’s touches vs. Benfica at the Bernabéu:
Valverde, much like Vinicius, seems reenergized since Alvaro Arbeloa’s arrival. He has scored one goal and distributed five assists (four in the Champions League) in only 11 matches under Madrid’s new coach — a goal contribution every 159 minutes. That is a dramatic increase over his scoring output under Xabi Alonso when Real Madrid’s #8 produced one goal and seven assists in 25 matches — a goal or assist every 260 minutes. To illustrate Valverde’s versatility, seven of his goal contributions this season have been while playing in midfield while the other seven have come from a right-back position. With the return of Trent Alexander-Arnold to the lineup, Valverde has returned to his preferred role, playing the last five matches in Madrid’s midfield.
Perhaps most surprising about Wednesday’s match was how high up the pitch Valverde played with only Vinicius averaging a higher positioning on the field for Madrid. This was especially unexpected given that Fede played centrally much of the match and not on the wing, especially in the second half. Valverde had four touches inside Benfica’s penalty box, joint leader with Vinicius on Wednesday. Could this be a new change in tactics that could lead to Valverde playing higher up the pitch and lead to an increase in his presence in the final third? It will be interesting to track as Madrid faces the biggest matches of the season in the coming weeks.
Real Madrid starting 11 average positioning vs. Benfica at the Bernabéu:
