New manager says improving the squad is a process and “will take time”
Xabi Alonso has told Real Madrid fans to exercise patience as the club’s rebuilding process under his guidance “will take time”.
Alonso’s Madrid drew 1-1 with Saudi Pro League champions Al-Hilal on Wednesday in their Group G tie at the Club World Cup. The performance of the Spanish giants was rather flat for most of the game, particularly in the first half. An image circulated on social media of club president Florentino Perez sulking in his chair as he watched Al-Hilal knock the ball about on the pitch, defying his boys in white.
“The second half was much better than the first,” Alonso said in his post-match news conference. “In the first half we lacked a lot of things, we didn’t have balance. We’ve talked about that.
“I liked the reaction. We were able to change our rhythm, have more control, and play more in the opposition half. It’s a process. We have to take the positives and look to improve.”
The Spaniard promised a “new era” in his first words as manager after arriving at the club from Bayer Leverkusen, and Madridistas will be eager to see evidence of that on the pitch as early as possible, particularly after their trophyless campaign last season when they lost the title and Copa del Rey to rivals Barcelona.
“I knew it would take time,” said Alonso. “There are things we have to change. We’ll have to correct them, and we’ll keep doing that. Everything takes time, we’ve had nine days, and some players have had just three training sessions.
“It’s demanding, we’re in a competition, but we want to learn, and what we want to do will take time.”
A number of stars were missing for Madrid on Wednesday, most notably the club’s highest goalscorer last season and current holder of the Pichichi Trophy, Kylian Mbappe. The France international missed the match due to a fever but will be looking to return as soon as possible.
Asked if Mbappe would be available for the next game against Mexican side Pachuca, Alonso said: “We don’t know. We’ll have to see how his recovery goes.”
