Wednesday, January 7, 2026, 18:22
Xabi Alonso begins to risk a good part of his future with Real Madrid’s first round in the Spanish Super Cup, a true derby against Atlético that will decide the second finalist of the tournament with the memory still fresh of the 5-2 Colchonero in the Metropolitano league duel. «Without a doubt we want to play a different game. We are very aware of the things that we missed, but tomorrow will be another story. There are many things that evolve during the season, we have to analyze them and they are important,” analyzed the Madrid coach before a capital match, a true test with the possibility of revenge.
«It is a semifinal, we need good mental preparation. We have many reasons to play this match with energy. It is the first title of the season and now it is the absolute priority,” added Xabi Alonso in reference to the preparation of a match of enormous caliber, for which he will not have Mbappé, who in any case is expected to recover in time for the final: “We hope to recover him. “This game comes too soon.”
At the moment they have Gonzalo, author of a hat-trick in the last League match against Betis at the Bernabéu. Also with Vinicius. “There is a lot of season left, many important games, and we need Vini because he is fundamental for us,” he praised the Brazilian again, trying to offer a relaxed face, leaving aside everything that this Super Cup entails.
«Everyone’s pressure is essential. I always demand that everyone is committed, that they are active and the lines together. “That desire to want to play at this moment and enjoy it will make us more competitive,” he then noted about the repeated instructions to Vinicius during the duel against Betis, in which he demanded that the Fluminense make the greatest possible effort in terms of work without the ball and collective commitment.
Lesson learned
For his part, Jude Bellingham, who has known both sides of the coin in his two previous experiences in the Spanish Super Cup, with the 2024 title and the tough defeat in the classic that decided the champion last year, faces the semi-final derby with the lesson of the red and white hand in the League well learned, at least on paper. «The key is what we learned in the first game. We have improved many points and it has been very important. “We have reviewed it very well,” said the Englishman.
The Briton avoided commenting on the future of Xabi Alonso, who is at stake in the Super Cup, although he tried to make a positive assessment of the current situation with the Basque coach at the helm. «This matter is not mine, but in my opinion we are in a semi-final, second in the League, in the ‘top 8’ in the Champions League… It is not a disaster, sometimes it is exaggerated in bad moments in Madrid. Tomorrow we hope to win but the decisions that are made are not in my head,” he concluded in this sense.
