The appearance of Xabi Alonso at Real Madrid City, twenty-four hours before the Champions League match against Manchester City, he arrived in one of the most tense moments since his arrival on the white bench. The defeat against Celta, the team’s emotional decline and the concatenation of irregular matches They have set off all the alarms. With a locker room under examination and the board observing every detail, the coach faced a press conference in which he was asked about his management, the future, the reaction of the group and the rumors that once again place him outside the club. “It’s where I want to be,” he said.
The context does not allow nuances. Real Madrid enters the match against City with a square defenseor, the need to reactivate capital figures and the urgency of taking a coup of authority in Europe. The Valdebebas press room was full before the coach appeared. It’s a big day and it showed.
Xabi Alonso began by stating his state of mind and that of the team. When asked if he feels alone, he denied any feeling of isolation: “It’s a team, we all go together hand in handeither. When you are coach of Real Madrid you are prepared. Looking forward to what’s coming and that starts tomorrow.” He admitted the anger of the environment, which he considered “normal”, and stressed that in football “for better or worse, you can turn quickly.” In his speech a concept was repeated: immediate reaction.
The coach did not avoid the question that generates the most headlines every day: his future. The information that places him back in Liverpool FC reappears from time to time, and on this occasion it was forceful. “It’s where I want to be.“He did not explain more, he did not open doors or fuel speculation: his focus, he insisted, is tomorrow’s game. In the same vein, he responded when asked if he manages to abstract himself from outside pressure: “My focus is on the field. “That’s what I can control.”
In the session he was also questioned about the team’s fall after beating Barça and about specific decisions such as the change of Vinicius Junior in that clash. Despite the doubts that arose after the subsequent decline, Alonso maintained his criteria: “It was a decision of the moment. If I see that it is the decision to make, I have no doubt“At another point in the hearing, questioned about the so-called ‘Vinicius case’ and compared to the management of Liverpool FC around Mohamed Salah, he limited himself to pointing out that they are matters that “are managed there”, without elaborating on evaluations.
The analysis of the rival occupied an important part of the event. Pep Guardiola’s City is a huge test in any circumstanceand even more so when Madrid arrives with doubts. “It’s Pep’s team, it has been evolving. It has new players and things that are not so recognizable compared to recent years. It will be a great rival,” he explained. He also recognized the added difficulty of facing Guardiola: “The next one is the best. You have to face it. It’s a challenge.”
The internal situation appeared recurrently. After the setback against Celta they drew “the usual conclusions.” However, he wanted to distance himself from the idea of a deep crisis. “We are psyched to face what we have to do. Everyone is convinced that we can win tomorrow. We have to play with good rhythm, intensity. And there is no doubt about that.” He also wanted to make it clear that he feels the support of the locker room: when asked if he has the support of the entire squad, he responded with a resounding “yes.”
Regarding his relationship with the club, he highlighted the constant communication with the management area. When asked about the supposed support after the last game, he assured that the dialogue is permanent and that “we are all in this together.” Regarding external noise, he admitted that coaching Real Madrid requires adapting and learning. “I know Madrid very well. You have to adapt and learn. There are good days, others not. But we take steps in every game.”
The coach also raised the emotional dimension of the meeting. For him, the game against City is an opportunity to grow, not a paralyzing obstacle. “It’s a big day to continue progressing. It will be a Champions League night atmosphere. The fans know what kind of game we will have.” In his final message he appealed to that shared process between the team and the stands: “I’m sure they will become excited as time goes by, like us.”
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