Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso dismissed transfer speculation and rumours about his future in his pre-match press conference before the game against Athletic Club on Wednesday as he spoke on Tuesday, saying, “those questions aren’t for me. My focus is on tomorrow’s game, on preparing with the team for what we have ahead of us. We know where we are in the season, there’s still a long way to go, we’re just over a third of the way through La Liga, it’s all very close, there are still a lot of games to play, a lot of points to play for. Things can change a lot and the short term is tomorrow. It’s tomorrow, it’s Bilbao, it’s San Mamés. It’s taking us a while to get that feeling of winning away from home back, but that’s the reality, but we can do it tomorrow.”
Xabi Alonso on Athletic Club
“It’s a classic match in the league, in Spanish football, and there’s always a great atmosphere at San Mamés. It’s always a stadium where you have to play with a lot of energy, with a lot of concentration, knowing past experiences and how to approach it. Tomorrow we’ll have our last training session and then we’ll travel to Bilbao.”
Xabi Alonso on meetings with the players in Athens
“We talk about football, the dressing room, the unity we need, the things we have to improve to be more consistent in our play. That’s what concerns both the players and the coaching staff, how we can improve, how we can break this dynamic in La Liga and start winning away from home again. That’s why tomorrow we have a very good opportunity at San Mamés and that’s why we’re going there.”
Xabi Alonso on replacing Toni Kroos
“Well, Toni has a lot of experience in football and has been through all kinds of moments at Real Madrid, above all, and he knows the club very well, he knows the players very well, he knows what’s required. So these are processes, they’re moments, and the important thing is how we deal with them, when they’re good moments or not so good, that we have conviction, confidence in ourselves. I have complete confidence in the team and right now, in the short term, it’s tomorrow’s game.”
Xabi Alonso on Jude Bellingham’s state of mind
“Well, I’m with him every day and I see that he’s doing well, he’s eager. Obviously, he shares the feeling of all the players and everyone on the team after not winning, of not being happy. The demands are high here, as is the responsibility, and Jude is part of that. We have to help each other and we have to help Jude so that he’s happy and at his best.”
Xabi Alonso on doubts about his role after 100 days
“Well, we are where we are in the standings, both in La Liga and in the Champions League. We live with the demands and the criticism. That’s inherent in Real Madrid, in any football club, but we know where we are. So we focus on what we can do: work hard, improve, win games so that we can be where we want to be in April-May and be in contention for everything.”
Xabi Alonso on conversations with the president
“Yes, I have spoken to him again and the conversations are very positive, in good spirits, wanting to turn the results around and that’s what we’ve talked about.”
Xabi Alonso on the current style of play
“Football, and when you play football you always try to do your best. This team, these players, always try to give their best and there have been good games, there have been not-so-good games. That’s why we haven’t been able to win in the last few games. I think we’ve lacked consistency and the demand is to be able to raise our level a little bit more in the next game.”
Xabi Alonso on whether Bellingham and Güler can play together
“As you say, after the Barça game and after the Valencia game, probably those of you who have or those who have those doubts would not have asked this question. The team in general, after those two games, after that good run, we’ve lost a little bit of quality in our play, we’ve lost a little bit of energy, and we’re all affected by it, all the players are affected by it. But they can play together, they’ve played well together, and they’ll play together again.”
Xabi Alonso on the press
“The players are clear about what they want, what we can do, and how we can improve. There’s the organization and there’s the intensity, the energy to be able to do it. Without organization, it’s impossible, so we have to work on that. Yes, the other day, the first half was very different from the second in that respect; we improved a lot in the second half and that’s why we had more chances. Then we couldn’t score that second goal, but it all starts with having that conviction and then controlling both the defensive and offensive aspects. If you don’t defend well, you won’t attack well, and if you don’t attack well, you won’t defend well.”
Xabi Alonso on changes in the team since his arrival
“Of course you change, you learn, you update, you share nuances, ideas like ‘this has gone well,’ ‘we can correct that.’ It’s not a still photo, it’s a dynamic photo that evolves, and the games guide you a lot in terms of what the players feel, what they’re doing well, and what we can improve or what isn’t working.”
Xabi Alonso on the team’s attitude and energy
“Well, the schedule is demanding, both for us and for all the teams. It’s always difficult to maintain 100% energy levels, but we can improve. We can improve our pressure jumps or turns, our consistency, and be more regular. And that also comes from having a good feeling. Working on it and saying ‘today we’ve got it, tomorrow we don’t’ is difficult. Those are the feelings you have on the field, and when the team is flowing, you usually have more of them. We want to get to that point, it’s essential. Knowing that you don’t always have it; we’re at that point right now, trying to get it back.”
Xabi Alonso on Ronald Araujo’s indefinite leave for mental health
“You have to respect the feelings and needs of the players. They’re not machines, they’re people, and in all contexts there are a lot of demands and responsibilities. If they’ve decided that, if it’s for the good of the guy, it seems logical to me.”
Xabi Alonso on Rodrygo
“Trust him, hope that this football thing changes with one action, with one goal. It’s the player’s state of mind, and Rodrygo has the quality. He’s played some games, others he hasn’t been able to play because the competition is tough here. But no one doubts his quality. He’s a guy with a great attitude, a great disposition, and we’re waiting for him. He needs that good feeling with a few actions, with a good game, with a goal to break out of his current situation.”
Xabi Alonso on comparisons with Kroos and Modric’s Real Madrid
“I think we have a squad that is big enough and good enough to compete. It’s December now, we’ve just started. It’s clear that November didn’t go as we would have liked. But I have complete confidence in the quality and personality of this group to play well and to be in contention for everything in April and May, when the time comes and where we want to be to fight for everything.”
Xabi Alonso on Kylian Mbappé‘s goals and leadership
“He’s had a full season here in Madrid and you know how last year turned out. We’re three months in and he’s performing very well individually, helping the team a lot. The team, both in La Liga and in the Champions League, you know where it is, and then we’ll see at the end of the season. It’s not just Kylian’s goals, which in the end are the most important thing, but he does many other very fundamental things: leadership, influence, helping his teammates, and that’s very important on a day-to-day basis.”