Fede Valverde, Real Madrid captain, acknowledged a subpar second-half performance despite his team’s 2-1 Champions League victory over Inter Milan. Valverde highlighted the crucial role of goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois in securing the win and expressed disappointment with the team’s loss of control after halftime.
Valverde received the MVP award, but immediately credited Courtois, stating, “We had a great first half. Thibaut deserves a huge share of the credit for this award because he saved us today. He put in a tremendous performance and this award belongs to him too.”
Valverde criticized Real Madrid’s shift in approach following the interval. “In the second half, we didn't play our game and we struggled a lot, and that's something that shouldn't happen, especially when playing at home. We should have imposed our style of play. We were too hasty when it came to finishing off our moves.” He explained that the team lacked patience in possession, leading to a more chaotic game.
According to Valverde, manager Mourinho urged the team at halftime to maintain possession, particularly in Inter Milan’s half, and to play with more composure, but the players failed to heed the advice. “Mourinho told us clearly at half-time to keep possession more…but we didn't do that. We have to be self-critical. It’s true that we've won and it's important to start with a win, but we players have to be aware that we had a poor second half, we played their game and we didn't put in a great performance.”
While acknowledging the team created chances, Valverde admitted their attacking play became overly open and reliant on Inter Milan’s mistakes. He emphasized the importance of the win in restoring confidence after a recent loss to Betis, stating, “It's important to win to regain confidence. We lost to Betis and lost confidence, but today we've regained it. We didn't play our best game. I understand the fans. As players, we need to be much clearer about things, especially when we're in the lead.”
Read the original coverage
💬 Comments
📜 Comment Policy