Real Madrid's head coach, Carlo Ancelotti, recently addressed critical remarks from Federico Valverde's wife, Mina Bonino, regarding his tactical decisions.
Bonino voiced her dissatisfaction with Ancelotti’s choice to deploy Valverde as a winger during Real Madrid's 3-1 UEFA Champions League loss to AC Milan. She expressed on social media that Valverde is most effective as a central midfielder, stating, “Fede plays best as a pivot. When are they going to understand that he is not a winger?”
Ancelotti, responding to the comments, emphasized that his substitution of Valverde was not related to the player's performance but was a result of physical discomfort Valverde had experienced. Ancelotti commented, “It’s difficult to give an opinion on what people write on social media. I changed Valverde because he wasn’t 100%, he had problems.” This clarification came after speculation that Valverde’s halftime replacement by Eduardo Camavinga was performance-related.
The match itself saw Real Madrid's efforts thwarted despite an initial equalizer. AC Milan opened the scoring in the 12th minute with Malick Thiaw’s goal, but Madrid responded quickly, with Vinicius Jr. converting a penalty in the 23rd minute. However, AC Milan regained their advantage just before halftime through Alvaro Morata, and later, Tijjani Reijnders secured the 3-1 win in the 73rd minute, marking Real Madrid's first Champions League defeat this season.
Valverde’s role in Ancelotti’s lineup has been debated, as the versatile player is often seen as more impactful in central midfield—a view echoed by Bonino. His influential performances from this position have made him one of Madrid's key players, raising questions about his deployment on the wings.
Real Madrid's loss to AC Milan also highlighted a challenging period for the club, following their recent 4-0 defeat to Barcelona in El Clasico. The back-to-back losses at home underscore the difficulties facing the club as they navigate the season.
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