Xabi Alonso did his best to downplay expectations surrounding his first few games as Real Madrid manager, warning that the Club World Cup has forced an unnatural “acceleration” of his lauded coaching methods.
The former Bayer Leverkusen boss was only officially unveiled as Madrid’s new head coach at the end of May. Alonso hailed his own arrival as “the start of an era” that day, however, such grand ambitions take time to form.
“Everything has to be accelerated because we have little time to get to know each other and train,” Alonso told Real Madrid TV. “We’ll start building a team because we have three training sessions before the first game. We’re coming with a lot of enthusiasm and the hope of having a good tournament to make it to the end.”
Alonso’s first game at the helm will be against Saudi Pro League outfit Al Hilal on Wednesday evening. The European behemoths are considered to be one of the leading contenders to win this summer’s inaugural edition of the expanded competition, with perhaps only the current Champions League holders, Paris Saint-Germain, more likely victors.
The Basque head coach was only able to conduct his first training session at the start of the week. Supposedly restless Brazilian forward Rodrygo was a notable participant in a high-energy display which didn’t include a raft of stars involved in international fixtures. Vinicius Junior and Arda Guler have returned to the setup ahead of next week’s first group game, but there are still several lofty figures to gradually ease back into contention.
“They've been very positive; little by little, you’re getting to know them and having that much-needed contact, and little by little, more players are arriving," Alonso added.
Nevertheless, the forthright boss is not one to hide behind excuses. From the very first match of his tenure, the Spanish tactician is hoping for more than just a positive result. “We’re starting a new era and we have to prioritize what’s important: what we want to be, how we want to play, and how we feel about it,” Alonso outlined. “We want to be able to do that from the very beginning, from the match against Al Hilal. First, we have to recognize ourselves.”
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Xabi Alonso Sounds Warning After First Real Madrid Training Sessions.
