“I am starting with…” – Xabi Alonso sends message to Carlo Ancelotti ahead of Real Madrid debut | OneFootball

Real Madrid mark the start of a new era on Wednesday when they take on Al Hilal in their first group stage match of the Club World Cup. New head coach Xabi Alonso will take charge of his debut fixture, and he is eager to get going.

And he is not the only one that is excited, as he revealed during his pre-match press conference that he also sees the players very well, as per Diario AS.

“I feel that the players are eager and excited, after closing a fantastic stage. There are new faces and the start has been good. The timing is good for everyone. You have to show it on the pitch. Tomorrow the rock and roll begins.”

Image via Real Madrid CF

Alonso gave an insight into his first couple of weeks at Real Madrid, and he also praised predecessor for the work he did in preparation of his arrival from Bayer Leverkusen.

“We have been here for several days and little by little we are recovering people. The internationals in one, those who played in the United States later… but I think the distance-covering, the positioning. That’s what will make us better. Knowing where we have to be, positioning ourselves, being a more ‘united’ team.

“The day-to-day is very good and the individual quality is enormous. Although I already knew that. Now it’s all about working. I respect and value the work of Carlo, the most successful coach in Real Madrid history. but now we are starting another stage and it will be our way. Although I am starting with a very good base.”

Alonso was also clear on what his side needs to do in order to be successful.

“Nowadays it is essential that there is balance. That there is commitment and that everyone is involved in all phases. I want a team that is together, we have talked about it; because that is going to make it much easier for us. I’m sure that on the last day of the tournament we’ll be a better team than the one we’ve started, because we’re going to correct things. The starting point is tomorrow; we’ll see where we end up.”

There is a lot of excitement at Real Madrid ahead of Alonso’s debut, and they will be favourites to see off Al Hilal on Wednesday. However, they could be without the services of Kylian Mbappe, which would be a big blow.