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Valverde, the secret behind the hat-trick: Arbeloa's tactical move

The Uruguayan was the star of the Champions League round of 16 first leg, sinking City with a hat-trick.

One, two, three. Hat-trick. And a standing ovation from the Santiago Bernabeu. Mbappé? No, he didn't even play in that match. And it wasn't Haaland, Semenyo or any of Guardiola's other players either. The man who scored three goals in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 between Real Madrid and Manchester City was Federico Valverde, who once again proved himself to be one of the best midfielders in the world. A box-to-box midfielder but also a right-back when needed, with attacking midfielder statistics: this season, he has been involved in 18 of Real Madrid's goals, scoring six and providing 12 assists. Phenomenal statistics.

VALVERDE EXPLAINS ARBELOA'S TACTICAL MOVE
After the match, Valverde spoke to Movistar, revealing the secret behind his hat-trick: "It was incredible, anyone would dream of an evening like this. I want to thank my teammates for their support. I don't know if it's my best performance ever, but certainly in terms of goals.The coach asked me to play in an advanced role,telling me to push forward, attack and be present in dangerous situations." On the second leg, Valverde said: "City press high and play man-to-man, which means we could have space to exploit behind them."

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VALVERDE EXPLAINS ARBELOA'S TACTICAL MOVE

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