Real Madrid disappointed their fans with their outing in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 versus PSG. Coach Carlo Ancelotti, known as a fairly attack-minded manager, set up a defensive team and fans did not enjoy it one bit. While the result could be considered somewhat positive, as they are only one goal down, the fans and many analysts out there will be looking out for a much more attacking team. In that vein, they will be looking at a few players. However, there is only one Real Madrid X-factor in the Champions League round of 16, and it's not Karim Benzema.

Real Madrid's X-factor – Fede Valverde 

Now, this might surprise some. The main focus of the team for the entire season was the percolating relationship between veteran Karim Benzema and young superstar Vinicius Jr. The Brazilian scored 16 goals and the French legend scored 26, with many of them coming off of Vinicius assists. However, both were kept very silent in the game versus the Parisian team. Vini could not really get the ball in favorable positions, while Benzema was completely cut off. That was mostly due to the game plan and the fact that the Real Madrid midfield was completely overrun. That should not really happen in the second leg, simply due to the addition of Fede Valverde.

The Uruguayan midfielder does not get into the team much, but that is really not his fault. Ancelotti simply trusts in the famous KCM midfield, or Toni Kroos, Casemiro, and Luka Modric trio. That will not be the midfield against PSG however, as Casemiro got a yellow card and will be suspended for second leg. That opens up space for Valverde and he has been able to use that space all season long. As said, he does not get a ton of trust from his coach, but every time he is on the field, Real Madrid fans are seeing a ton of passion, energy, and seemingly, his inability to stop pressing and running all game long. If he gets the full 90 minutes versus the French team, Valverde will be the key factor, if Real Madrid ends up winning the tie.

As briefly mentioned, the main reason why Real Madrid lost the first game, aside from the ultra-defensive game plan of Ancelotti, was that their midfield was outmatched. Obviously, that did not happen a ton in the past, especially due to the fact that their legendary midfield is probably one of the best trios in the history of football. However, with Danilo Pereira, Marco Veratti, and Leandro Paredes, PSG decided to go with a ton of energy and defensive stability in the middle. Kroos, Modric, and Casemiro depend on controlling possession and controlling the pace of the game, but they were simply pressed out of existence while being unable to return the pressure. With Valverde, no PSG player will be able to take their time on the ball, and that is a weak point of their setup.

Now, to avoid confusion, the midfield of PSG is great. They lack creativity, but their game plan relies on Lionel Messi dropping down and being the creative side of the midfield, combining with the duo of Neymar and Kylian Mbappe. If PSG's midfield is left alone, as they were in the first game, they have all the time in the world to get the ball up front and when Messi gets the ball, even if he does not have a great attacking game, he can set up his teammates in great positions. With Valverde, however, PSG's midfield will be in jeopardy of pressure for the entire game so it should be better, on paper, for Real Madrid, giving them more opportunities to attack.

When it comes to the attacking side, Valverde's quality comes from his energy and speed. He is not exactly a pacey midfielder, but when he gets going, it is hard to stop him. Real Madrid won a ton of games this year on counterattacks and they start either with a long pass from Modric or Kroos or from a blistering run by Valverde. Now, with Kroos playing the role of Casemiro and with Valverde playing in the middle of the park, they should have all options available. PSG looks like a team that does not really know how to play any other football than the attacking kind, so there should be tons of opportunities.

In a team full of legends of football, it takes a lot of skill for a Real Madrid player to stand out. While he has not been given a ton of chances this season, Fede Valverde will get the chance in this incredibly important matchup and he will end up being Real Madrid's X-factor in the Champions League bout versus PSG.