Alonso talks Valverde, Bellingham, Lunin, Endrick ahead of Real Madrid vs Villarreal | OneFootball

Real Madrid will be gunning to bounce back to winning ways in La Liga when they host Villarreal this Saturday night.

Having succumbed to a disastrous 2-5 loss to Atletico Madrid last weekend, Los Blancos got things back on track with a 5-0 victory over Kairat Almaty in the UEFA Champions League and will hope to carry that momentum against Marcelino’s side.

With Barcelona facing a tricky opposition in Sevilla on Sunday, a win tomorrow night could allow Real Madrid go into the international break as league leaders.

Ahead of the game, manager Xabi Alonso addressed the media, and as one would have expected, the topic of Federico Valverde was discussed heavily.

Regarding Valverde

The Uruguayan international did not play a single minute against Kairat, leading to speculations that it was due to his refusal to fill in as a right-back in the absence of Dani Carvajal and Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Both the player and the club have categorically denied that and Alonso, too, cleared the air on the matter, saying:

“No one has ever told me they don’t want to play a position. Everyone wants to play, but no one has ever told me that. Everyone is very willing, and from there, I’ll be the one who decides. Let that be clear.”

On whether Valverde feels ready for tomorrow’s match, the Real Madrid boss added: “He’s ready for tomorrow. Good. All right, we should have all the players back tomorrow, including Valverde.”

The Uruguayan international opted not to participate in the warm-up rondos before the Kairat Almaty game, which was cited as a possible reaction to tension between himself and the manager.

Xabi Alonso cleared the air on Valverde’s situation. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

When asked if he is bothered by a player not participating in the rondo session, Alonso replied: “It’s something we like, which I think is good, because you have to be prepared for anything. I want everyone to participate.”

On the opposition and the team

Alonso was then asked if he was concerned that when it came to his Real Madrid team, a lot of talk has been about individuals and not the team as a collective.

“We are fortunate to be able to spend a lot of time together, and I feel that the team is getting stronger. Everyone is important,” he noted.

“Some may expect to play and not do so… but that’s normal, we have to accept it. We have to live with it, knowing that it will happen again.”

Talking about the opposition, Alonso acknowledged that it will not be an easy match for Real Madrid at the Bernabeu tomorrow, saying:

“We’re playing at home again against a team in form, and we’ll have to perform at a high level both collectively and individually. These are important matches.”

There has been a lot of chatter surrounding players’ fitness and how they are handled while away on national team duty after Barcelona boss Hansi Flick had complained about Lamine Yamal’s injury last month.

Discussing how he prefers to handle these issues, Alonso noted: “Normally it’s the players who pass on the information, but we keep the door open to the national team managers. If any of them arrive with discomfort, we monitor their workload….”

Having enjoyed an exceptional playing career, with the best of the teams, including Real Madrid, Alonso was asked whether he found it easier to deal with pressure as a footballer or as a manager. In response, he said:

“It’s completely different. Being a manager is more demanding in some ways and being a player in others. Now it’s my turn to do this and I’m enjoying it.”

On whether he has ever felt his authority has been questioned at Real Madrid so far, Alonso was clear:

“We spend a lot of time together, as I said before. And we have that closeness of preparing for matches, celebrating victories… that brings us closer together.

“I’ve always noticed that closeness among the players; knowing my role, but respecting each other. And that’s fundamental for me.”

Real Madrid lost 2-5 to Atletico last week. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

Regarding the lessons he took from Real Madrid’s 2-5 hammering at the hands of Atletico last week, Alonso said:

“You shouldn’t get too high on victories or too low on defeats. The more balanced we are, the better we’ll handle everything and the more effective we’ll be in our performance.

“This happened, happens and will happen at any club. We don’t forget it, but we don’t get hung up on it.”

Alonso has not been shy of making rotations across the pitch this season, with the goalkeeping department the only one where he has not changed things. As such, he was asked if he considered to switch it up in some games, to which he replied:

“Lunin must always be ready, because there can always be contingencies. We have a great goalkeeper in Thibaut, but Andriy is too. In December we have the Cup and we’ll see what decision we make. But he must feel ready. And he is.”

Regarding Jude Bellingham’s omission from the England squad and whether it comes a relief for him, given that the player recently came back from injury, Alonso said:

“Relieved, no, it’s just a matter of time before he comes back, he’ll be back for the next one. Jude is better from his injury, eager to contribute. It’s just a matter of time before he reaches his best level.”

Concluding, Alonso explained why Endrick has yet to feature for him despite having been back in the squad for the previous four games.

“He has a chance to be a starter (laughs). He’s coming off a slightly longer injury, but he’s been training well for a few weeks now and it’s just a matter of finding the right context in the game for him to come on.

“He has a goal-scoring instinct, a brutal finish. There’s just a lot of competition, but his time will come.”

Source: AS