Xabi Alonso brushes aside controversies with Lamine Yamal: "only what happens on the field matters"

Real Madrid hosts FC Barcelona this Sunday at the Santiago Bernabéu with the obligation to, at least, play a good game and make their home respected in the first Clásico of the season. Xabi Alonso, in the press conference prior to the match, expressed his excitement and confidence in seeing his team "playing well" and supported by their fans.

The man from Tolosa valued being able to recover four of the six injured players on the team (Huijsen, Arnold, Carvajal and Ceballos), although he gave no clues about his possible XI. What he did make clear is that he expects "the highest individual and collective level to compete in a top-level match."

Madrid is coming off four consecutive defeats against Barça last season. In addition, they suffered two thrashings against PSG (4-0) and Atlético (5-2) in the Club World Cup and LaLiga, respectively, with the French and 'Colchoneros' being the highest-ranked rivals that the 'Casa Blanca' has faced in the Basque coach's cycle.

In that sense, when referring to the derby, Alonso assures that the team, in the 12 games of the 25/26 season, has been improving. "No trophy is awarded yet, nor is any medal won; there's a lot of season left. Right now, the most important thing is tomorrow."

Xabi Alonso avoids further controversy with Lamine Yamal and safeguards his plan to nullify the '10'

On the other hand, the coach from Tolosa was also asked about Lamine Yamal's words before the Clásico. During a Kings League event, Barça's '10' compared Real Madrid to Ibai Llanos' team (Porcinos), stating that the 'merengues' "steal and complain".

In this regard, Xabi Alonso stressed that he will not get involved in the exchange of statements, as he is only concerned about what his team can do in each game. "The important thing is the pitch, what happens on the field, where we come from, what we have ahead of us, and how we play the game."

Similarly, regarding Álvaro Carreras' work in marking Lamine and a possible specific plan to try to nullify the '10' of Barça, the Basque coach believes that the key is to keep the lines together, "control the moments of pressure and the distances. That is what we are sustaining to be more consistent in performance."

"We are competing very well, but I think we can play even better. We are building a solid foundation to be reliable"

Mbappé's Role and the Mindset to Face Barça

On the other hand, Xabi Alonso also referred to the role of Kylian Mbappé. The '10' has had a remarkable start to the season, with 15 goals in 12 games, but in his first Clásico against Barça he fell into the offside trap 8 times.

In this regard, Xabi assures that, beyond knowing how to break the offside trap, Madrid must "do more things, small fundamental details that can make the difference in these matches."

Likewise, the manager warns that, although Madrid arrives with 4 consecutive victories and the rematch victory against the "culés," the Clásico will not be decisive for the rest of the season.

"It's a special match, one we have marked, but it doesn't change too much. We're coming into it in a good frame of mind and with a good level of competitiveness. Tomorrow is the moment," said the man from Guipúzcoa.

"The most important thing is us: our quality and our strength. Then there are the small match plans about what we want, with and without the ball"

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