‘I’m not the first Real Madrid manager to deal with situations like this’ – Xabi Alonso

Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso has pointed out that he is not the first manager to deal with difficult situations at the Bernabeu, as the press in the Spanish capital discusses his relationship with several key players. The Basque manager is under increasing pressure after three matches without a win, with tension heightened by talk that he is not getting through to the players.

Unsurprisingly, it formed the majority of his press confderence before Los Blancos took on Olympiakos in Piraeus, as they enter the second half of the Champions League league phase. Alonso was asked how important it was to manage the egos of a dressing room.

“It’s just as important as the footballing philosophy, the tactical and physical work, managing personalities… and it’s a process with different phases that you have to know how to navigate. At Real Madrid, it’s fundamental.”

“I didn’t realise it had been six months, but it’s turning out to be exactly what I expected. A very demanding job with good moments and moments where you need that concentration and connection. We’re in one where we have to show a reaction. I’m enjoying the whole package, everything it entails. I said it on the first day and I’ll say it again.”

‘I won’t discuss players getting managers sacked’ – Alonso

Alonso is in his third spell with Real Madrid, first as a player, then as a youth coach and now as a manager. Alonso was asked whether he was enjoying his time at the Bernabeu.

“It’s demanding, but I’m certainly not the first manager to have to deal with these situations. I think a lot about what Carlo, Mourinho, or Pellegrini, the managers I’ve had, would have done in their time. These aren’t new situations; we have to know how to deal with them, we have the necessary standards and self-criticism. We know where we want to go… and putting all of this together, I’m enjoying it.”

Amid talk that some players are doing so, Alonso was asked if he felt it that players can ‘make the bed’ for a manager, a euphemism for deliberately getting a coach sacked, or whether it was an urban myth. Something Alonso refused to get into.

“We have to have a lot of respect for the players and the teams and how they prepare. I don’t want to and I’m not going to talk about that. I know what a dressing room is, I know the moments you have to go through, and you have to deal with the external noise.”

“It shouldn’t make us lose focus on what’s important for us. We have to know how to get through these moments; we know the consequences of bad results, but they shouldn’t derail us from the path we want to take.”

Backing from the club

Some have called for Real Madrid to back Alonso in a stronger manager, and ensure it is clear to the players who has the authority. The former Bayer Leverkusen coach said he had not received a message of support from the hierarchy, after first being asked if he felt he had been sufficiently backed.

“I’m guessing it is not the first time you’ve asked that question. We know the moment we’re in, in La Liga and the Champions League. I’m not focused on that, I’m focused on the players, on what we can control, and what happens at Valdebebas.”

“Not of support, because it’s not necessary, but we have the usual day-to-day communication with the president, I spoke this morning with him, and I also speak with Jose Angel [Sanchez, General Manager] every day or two, the usual.”

Alonso assured that his experience with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo helped his ability to connect to the dressing room.

“Yes, all experiences help you, and having known those players who had that collective and individual ambition… it helps you now that your position is different. The instinct you need in the dressing room isn’t that different.”

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