Alonso: No Need to Overinterpret Rodrygo's Situation – I'm Counting on Him

Thanks to Kylian Mbappé's penalty, Xabi Alonso led his team to a 1-0 home victory over Osasuna to secure the first league win of the season. After the match, he analyzed the game in an interview.

Highlights from the post-match quick interview:

Summary of the game

There are positive aspects. Starting the new season with this result is the most important thing. After two weeks of pre-season preparations, facing a team with a longer preparation period, we were clearly lacking in some areas. You could see the impact of the preparation cycle, but this victory will help us improve stability.

Match plan

Osasuna are well-drilled and not easy to play against. They dropped deep, and we lacked a bit of energy and adventurous spirit, but we controlled the game properly. If we had scored early, the game might have been different. But that’s okay; we’ll learn from it because we’ll definitely face this kind of game again.

Return to the Bernabéu

It’s special and unforgettable. Returning here as a coach is a wonderful thing, and we hope this is the first of many victories I can celebrate. The atmosphere, mystique, grandeur, and the stadium itself at the Bernabéu are stunning. It not only has a glorious history but also a bright future.

Performance of new signings

Very good. Everyone has integrated into the team. Whether it’s the players who played in the Club World Cup or Franco (Marstonnino), who made his debut today, they are players we’ll rely on in the coming years. They were neither overwhelmed by the jersey nor intimidated by playing at the Bernabéu.

Highlights from the post-match press conference:

Evaluation of the game
There are some positives and some areas to improve. The road is long, but we’re organized. We lacked energy in the final third and struggled to create clear chances. I’m confident the team will get better and gradually find their rhythm. We’re still in the preparation phase, but the victory brings peace of mind.

Four players making their Bernabéu debut

I don’t think they were overwhelmed by the pressure carried by this jersey, nor intimidated by playing at the Bernabéu. They performed well and appropriately – maybe not spectacular, but they played seriously. They didn’t make mistakes and weren’t nervous. Franco injected energy into the game. Now we must prepare for the next match, but I saw some positive signs. I’m happy to be back at this new Bernabéu; it sounds so…

On opponent Osasuna

Osasuna had a plan, and we struggled to find spaces, but at least we didn’t let them penetrate our defense, and we often organized attacks in their half. We lacked the final pass and must continue to improve.

What do you like about Marstonnino?

He looks very good. I think he can help the team, and he performed well. He’s been preparing, full of fighting spirit. Sometimes emotions have a greater impact than effort, and he played a positive role.

On Güler’s performance

Since I took charge, Arda (Güler) has been improving – not just in ability, but also in his understanding of his position and coordination with teammates. In the first half, he made several excellent defensive recoveries and won back a lot of balls. We need to keep giving Arda playing time to make him a key player, and he’s working towards that.

Is your center-back partnership fixed as Heuzen and Militão?

There’s no fixed starting lineup; whoever performs well plays. We have other center-backs like Rüdiger, Asensio, and Alaba. Militão has been in good form since the start of pre-season, which is good news.

Is the team still lacking cohesion and adaptation against opponents who park the bus?

We didn’t have much time to prepare for this. We thought Osasuna would position themselves higher. We can prepare different types of players for these situations – those who can break through from the wings, those who can attack crosses in the box... These are scenarios we’ll face in the future, and we must prepare more.

Mbappé has been more active since wearing the No. 10 jersey

After his first year at Real Madrid, I think he has higher goals. I don’t know if his performance is due to the jersey number or his desire to win, but you can really feel he wants to deliver better individual performances and inspire his teammates. In daily training, you can see his fighting spirit, and today he created these decisive attacks.

On Rodrygo

Nothing to it. The situation at the Club World Cup is different from now; we can forget that. What matters is this season, and I’m counting on him. This is just one game; no need to overinterpret the future. Having him on the bench today was just a decision I made based on the game. If he’s getting the same amount of playing time in three months, that would be a different story.

How do you view Carvajal’s role?

Not only on the competitive level, but he also plays an important role in the team's mentality. He’s a captain with rich experience here, knowing what it takes to win. Passing on this information will be crucial, and Carvajal is ready.