Real Madrid captain praises Courtois but admits team played ‘poor second half’ against Inter Milan

Real Madrid captain praises Courtois but admits team played ‘poor second half’ against Inter Milan Fede Valverde collected the MVP award after Real Madrid edged Inter Milan 2-1 in their Champions League opener, but the captain was far from satisfied with his team’s performance. The Uruguayan played a central role in a hard-fought victory, yet his assessment afterwards focused heavily on the shortcomings that nearly allowed Inter back into the contest.  Valverde also made sure to highlight Thibaut Courtois, whose saves were crucial to Real Madrid securing the result. “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,” the Uruguayan said. Valverde admits Real Madrid lost control Real Madrid had opportunities to put the game beyond Inter, but their approach changed significantly after the interval. Valverde admitted the hosts stopped playing with the control they had shown earlier. “We had chances but always stuck to our game plan. 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.  Federico Valverde was on the scoresheet against Inter Milan. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images) We should have imposed our style of play. We were too hasty when it came to finishing off our moves.  When attacking, we lacked the patience to keep possession a bit longer, to play the ball around and give ourselves a breather, and that led to the match becoming a bit of a mad affair,” he analysed. The captain also revealed that Mourinho had specifically urged the team to keep the ball more after the break. “Mourinho told us clearly at half-time to keep possession more, especially in their half, to play the ball around much more and stay calm, 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,” he said. Real Madrid captain demands more Valverde accepted that Real Madrid still created danger, but their attacking approach became too open and unpredictable. Real Madrid very narrowly beat Inter Milan. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images) “We had plenty of chances, but we weren’t playing our own game. Lots of counter-attacks, mistakes from them at the back.  “We created quite a few chances, but we also struggled a lot,” he acknowledged. For Real Madrid, the victory nevertheless provided an important response after their recent setback against Betis.  Valverde believes the result can restore confidence, while insisting the performance must improve. “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,” he concluded. Source: Mundo Deportivo