AS: Mourinho to Give Valverde Key Role, Team to Focus on Counterattacks and Space

According to AS, after Uruguay's early exit from the World Cup, Valverde's situation at both national team and club level has come under intense scrutiny.

Uruguay's failure at the World Cup is undeniable. The fact that Uruguay failed to advance from their group alongside Cape Verde and Saudi Arabia clearly demonstrates their poor performance. It was a complete disaster, but certain individuals have faced particular scrutiny, including Valverde. This World Cup specifically added further frustration to his situation.

Before the decisive match against Spain, Valverde was one of the players at odds with Bielsa. He was substituted off more than halfway through the second half. Bielsa explained the substitution by saying: "I wanted to add attacking strength." After Uruguay's elimination, angry fans specifically targeted him with messages like: "Valverde, go back to Real Madrid and don't come back, because you're useless here, both in qualifying and at the World Cup."

For Valverde, this is not an isolated incident. Rather, it is the latest blow in a season he would like to forget. Statistically, his record is not poor; he scored 9 goals and provided 13 assists for Real Madrid, but managed only 1 goal throughout Uruguay's World Cup qualifying campaign. His performances in matches also lacked brilliance, and what has truly hurt him this season is undoubtedly what has happened off the pitch, particularly his relationship with his coach.

His relationship with Bielsa ended on bad terms. At Real Madrid, he has also been seen as one who opposed Xabi Alonso. He openly refused to play as a right-back, though he later denied this; in Almaty, Kazakhstan, he also engaged in controversial warm-up behavior, which was interpreted as a challenge to Xabi Alonso.

After Xabi Alonso's dismissal, Valverde bore much of the blame. After working with Arbeloa, he adapted better and his performances improved, but his image had already been significantly damaged. The subsequent incident with Tchouaméni further tarnished his reputation: he clashed with the French player on two consecutive days, and on the second day, he fell after being struck, hit his head, lost consciousness, and was taken to hospital.

Both players were fined €500,000 and then returned to the team's regular training and match routine. But the rift remained.

Mourinho must now navigate all of this. Real Madrid considers Valverde very important, and regarding Tchouaméni, the club has indicated that if circumstances are right, they would consider a transfer. Valverde is also set to become captain following Carvajal's departure.

Mourinho plans to give Valverde a key role at Real Madrid, a team that will prioritize counterattacking and exploiting space. The one silver lining to Uruguay's early elimination is that Mourinho and Valverde can begin working together almost from the start of Real Madrid's preseason preparation.