Xabi Alonso sends warning to Real Madrid players ahead of derby and asks them to be ‘more unpredictable’ | OneFootball

Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso has warned his side against complacency ahead of the Madrid derby, with his side having the chance to open up a 12-point gap to their city rivals. After a difficult start for Atletico Madrid, and a perfect one for Los Blancos, Alonso was keen for his team not to be over-confident going into the game at the Metropolitano.

Los Blancos have failed to win at the Metropolitano in La Liga over the last three seasons, with each game ending 1-1, and their Champions League clash last year finished 1-0 to Atletico. Alonso said that he was looking forward to a ‘nice’ atmosphere though.

“It’s a great atmosphere; derbies are special. Even in the days leading up to the match, you can feel it in the city and the community. When you know what’s at stake, it motivates you even more; you have the desire to do well. We’re expecting a strong atmosphere.”

“It’s different going to the Metropolitano with Real Madrid. Because of the rivalry. It’s beautiful, and I hope we can enjoy it tomorrow as well. The standings don’t mean much, but the game will be tough. We’ll have to work hard.”

Xabi Alonso – ‘We can’t get complacent’

Perhaps the central message to come out of Alonso’s pre-match press conference was that he wanted his side to take nothing for granted.

“It’s very complicated, but every game is very difficult to win. We can’t get complacent. We’re not going to win just by going onto the pitch. We have to be consistent in our performance. The more we train ourselves to be active, the more we’ll win many games. If we have that natural activation, we can put up a lot of points.”

Alonso also challenged his side to keep defences guessing more than they have so far.

“We’ve done quite a few things well. The more flexible we can be, the better. We have to try to be unpredictable, too. We have the technical and physical ability, but without the ball, we’ve made strides forward, and we can’t lose that.”

Image via Florencia Tan Jun/Getty Images

‘Atletico Madrid have made a lot of changes this year’

Diego Simeone is in his 14th year as Atletico Madrid, and the Basque manager, who faced Simeone’s Atletico as a player, had little appetite to make such lofty aspirations for his own spell at the Bernabeu.

“What has has done is very important. I’m just starting out; I like to take it slow. I don’t set such long-term goals.”

Over the summer, Atletico Madrid signed nine players, making it 16 new faces over the last 13 months at the Metropolitano. For that reason, Alonso said he has not analysed last season’s derby clashes.

“I haven’t watched the recent derbies because they’ve changed quite a few of their players. I focused more on the current situation. Atleti are evolving. They’ve made smart changes this year. It’s early days, and they’ll be in the running for everything this season. Not only emotionally, but tactically and physically, too, it will be demanding. They’re a team with a lot of energy. You have to be prepared for the high tempo.”

Certainly Alonso’s message is in tune with the media coverage, with many making Los Blancos heavy favourites for the clash. Atletico secured just their second win of the season on Wednesday night, courtesy of a Julian Alvarez hat-trick, settled with three minutes to go. Real Madrid had a much more tranquil 4-1 victory over Levante on Tuesday night.