Carlo Ancelotti wants Real Madrid star to be ‘more arrogant’ on the pitch | OneFootball

Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti is eager for a key member of his squad to showcase a more ruthless, arrogant streak on the pitch this season.

That’s according to Marca, who point towards Federico Valverde as the player in question.

Midfielder Valverde, for his part, is fresh off a fine start to the new campaign.

Across three appearances to date, the Uruguayan has found the net on a pair of occasions, including the opener in this past weekend’s victory over Real Valladolid.

Boss Carlo Ancelotti, though, is not yet entirely satisfied with Valverde.

This comes amid claims that the Italian is pushing the 26-year-old increasingly hard to be ‘less humble’.

Real’s headmaster is of the opinion that Valverde remains too happy to take something of a back seat to some of his more high-profile teammates, particularly in the attacking third.

As per Marca:

‘The Madrid coach continues to ‘pull’ the Uruguayan, a player in whom he sees a potential that sometimes Fede, due to excess of humility, does not translate into the field of play.’

With Toni Kroos having now moved on, and Valverde having inherited the German’s iconic no.8 jersey, the consensus at Valdebebas is that the time has come for the South American to take one final step forward, to solidify his status as a leading figure on and off the pitch alike.

Conor Laird | GSFN