It's a victory he will remember for a long time. Appointed this season on the Real Madrid bench, Xabi Alonso had generally made his debut. Semi-finalist of the Club World Cup this summer, he was leader of La Liga with the Merengues while starting with 3 victories in 3 Champions League matches. However, the 5-2 defeat against Atlético de Madrid in the Championship was a bitter failure and he had to take advantage of this Clàsico on Sunday October 26 to strike a big blow. Making strong choices like the tenure of Eduardo Camavinga in the midfield which wreaked havoc, the former Bayer Leverkusen coach saw his team win 2-1 after an accomplished performance from start to finish.
After the match, he expressed his joy at a press conference and explained that this victory would do his team good. Indeed, Real Madrid remained on a 4-0 defeat against Paris Saint-Germain in the Club World Cup and had suffered a 5-2 setback against Atlético de Madrid. We finally needed this benchmark match in a game that counts and it arrived today. “We won 2-1, but I think we should have scored a lot more. I'm very happy for the guys. They needed that feeling of winning a big match. We had talked about it before, about the importance of this match. Not just for the three points, but for what a victory could mean, to deserve it», Confided the former Bayer Leverkusen.
Xabi Alonso totally enjoys
More than the victory, it was a real liberation for a team which showed a lot of motivation throughout the meeting: “I don't know if it was a surplus, but the team was very motivated. We had talked about it before, about the importance of the match. Not just for the three points, but for what a victory could mean, to deserve it. I'm very happy for the guys. They needed that feeling of victory. Their motivation was unwavering. This victory is worth more than 3 points. I told you, this game was circled in red in our calendar, because games like this can change the entire dynamic of a team.»
Proud of the collective performance, Xabi Alonso knows that this match confirms the good process that is being put in place: “we were looking to field the team best prepared to play an important match. We played well against the opponent. We worked with great conviction. The goal we conceded was like a defeat for us, but we created a lot of scoring chances. The choice was made for today, and I saw the players and the stadium having fun. There was a great bond. It was important for the fans to see that their team could compete and win a big match. They enjoyed it all. This project is only just beginning, but the complicity is fundamental. And I felt it today. It's important. You say it yourself. It's not just the three points. We know that it is still October, that it is early, and that we have to row hard and work hard. But we wanted to have good feelings, and that's what happened. We need a lot of what we saw today.» Real Madrid version Xabi Alonso has just validated an important first step in its project.
