Alonso talks Mbappe, Vinicius, Huijsen, Valverde, Rodrygo, Camavinga ahead of Real Madrid vs Espanyol | OneFootball

Just a few days after securing a 2-1 win over Olympique de Marseille in the UEFA Champions League, Real Madrid return to action on Saturday, this time in La Liga, where they take on RCD Espanyol.

Real Madrid are the only team in La Liga to maintain a 100% record four games into the season and are seated at the top of the table – two points and two places above Espanyol, who are third with ten points.

As such, tomorrow’s contest at the Santiago Bernabeu will not be an easy one, with the Catalan club in good nick and high on confidence.

Real Madrid boss Xabi Alonso spoke to the media ahead of the match, addressing several topics, including Dean Huijsen’s controversial one-match suspension.

Kicking things off, Alonso acknowledged Espanyol’s good form, but also stated that Real Madrid are also in a good moment.

“Espanyol are in very good form, but we also have good energy to extend this phase. It will be challenging, because they’re in good form, but we’re at home. We must play a good game,” he said.

On Vinicius

The chat then quickly turned to Vinicius Jr., who was left out on the bench for the second match this season vs Marseille.

When asked if he felt the Brazilian had lost some of his spark, Alonso replied: “He looks fine. Yesterday, after the other day, it seemed like it wasn’t the right time to talk to him. But today he was more positive. I talked to him a bit and did some exercises….”

On how he plans to help the 24-year-old recover his best version, the Real Madrid manager noted:

“I saw him yesterday, and it wasn’t the time to talk, as I said. You have to have a bit of that intuition, and we talked a little today. But we’re only five league games in. There’s still a long way to go; this is a marathon until May. We have to take it step by step.”

Upon being asked what Rodrygo offers on the left flank that Vinicius does not, Alonso noted:

“His quality, his ability to move forward, his ability to link up… but Vini also has that. Both in the starting lineup and off the bench, his impact has been very good.”

No longer a guaranteed starter. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

When asked if Vinicius is suffering due to a lack of focus, the Spaniard responded by saying:

“For me, there are many important players in this squad. In terms of level, experience, track record, and what they’ll bring us. Vinicius is one of them, Jude, Fede, Aurélien, Dean, Arda…

“I’m not going to get into those labels we want to put on them right now. I value everyone very much and I want the whole team to feel important. Everyone is in this boat, and we need everyone pulling in the same direction.”

On Mbappe, Valverde and others

So far Xabi Alonso has been happy to rotate his lineup in the five games, but Kylian Mbappe has been one of the very few players to have started each one. When asked if the Frenchman was his only confirmed starter, he said:

“There are a lot of games… and he’s sure to miss out on some. You have to accept it naturally. It’s impossible to play… well, not impossible, it’s possible to play in every game, but I don’t think it’s going to happen.

“Kylian is important, there will be some where he won’t start.”

Regarding Dean Huijsen’s one-match ban being upheld despite the Referees’ Committee (CTA) acknowledging an error in his sending-off, Alonso echoed the youngster’s frustrations, saying:

“On one hand, I’m not surprised. I would have liked a different decision… but it’s not going to be possible. If a mistake is accepted, it should have consequences, but no. And let’s leave it at that.”

Talking about Federico Valverde’s comments about him assuring that the Uruguayan would not play at right-back, Alonso said:

“I don’t know about guarantees, because you can never get your fingers caught, but the idea is for him to play in midfield. He gave a lot to the team the other day. He was very generous, he’s fundamental to our system, he gives us a lot.”

Regarding Jude Bellingham and Eduardo Camavinga and their readiness to play against Espanyol on Saturday, Alonso remarked:

“They might play, although they’ve only been training for a short time. Maybe, we’ll see.”

On what he thinks is Camavinga’s best position, Alonso said: “As a midfielder. He’s obviously so complete that he can play in many positions, like Valverde. But I see him in the middle, as a six or eight .

“He has many abilities, and now we need to integrate him into the team’s quality, both on and off the ball.”

Alonso also discussed the prospect of facing former manager Jose Mourinho in the Champions League, now that the Portuguese has been appointed the new coach of Benfica.

“I had the chance to face him when he was at Roma and I was at Leverkusen. It will be special for him. It was three very intense years… and he was very important. He has a huge affection for this club,” he said.

The Real Madrid manager also acknowledged that the team have yet to perform to their fullest, especially with red cards costing them.

“We’ve had several matches conditioned by context, mainly by cards. But I hope that during longer periods we have that sense of control. I want us to generate, to have stability in the game, because that will give us emotional stability.

“It will prevent us from getting too excited. If you go too far… sometimes you make bad decisions. The longer these phases of play are, the better.”

Source: AS