Real Madrid midfielder Fede Valverde is expected to be one of the leaders in the dressing room at the Bernabeu this season, and the Uruguayan was the one to face the music before Los Blancos take on Kairat Almaty in the Champions League. He admitted he was not at his best.

Valverde, along with the rest of the Real Madrid midfield, struggled to impose himself against Atletico Madrid, and this was exemplified by his inability to shut down Koke Resurreccion, and in stoppage time, a loose giveaway that helped Alex Baena assist Antoine Griezmann for a fifth goal.

“I’m aware of how I’m playing. A footballer can tell when he’s having a bad game… It’s true that I had a very good start to this project. I think I had a good Club World Cup, but at the start of this season, I haven’t been so good. As one of the captains, I’ll continue to stand up for myself, leading this group… I’ll stick my chest out and keep moving forward.”

‘Since I’ve been at Real Madrid, we’ve rarely talked so much’

All eyes will be on the reaction from Los Blancos, and Valverde explained that the players and staff had discussed their loss to Los Rojiblancos at length.

“They were two very tough days, very difficult on a footballing level. It was a very hard blow, but we talked a lot. Since I’ve been at Madrid, we’ve rarely gotten together so much to talk. We talked a lot about our attitude on the pitch and getting a sense of what was at stake. We also had many conversations with the coach and staff.”

It is the second time that Real Madrid have faced a ‘major challenge’ in terms of their opponent, if you exclude Juventus and Borussia Dortmund, but both ended in resounding defeats.

“We’ve played a lot of games, but not much time with the new coach. We have to give our all. We’ve had two defeats with Xabi, and they were tough, against PSG and the one the other day. It’s part of football, but as Real Madrid players, we have to try to make sure that doesn’t happen. We have to play differently and unite both inside and out.”