Xabi Alonso: “Sometimes, to take one step forward, you have to take two steps back”

Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso spoke to the media before their game against Kairat Almaty on Tuesday. He was asked about the Atletico match and how many conversations there were after it, to which he said: “I haven’t seen a lack of conversations; I’ve seen that there are some. And they’re essential for building a game plan and a spirit. We’re in the construction phase. I don’t know how long it will last. Sometimes, to take one step forward, you have to take two steps back. We’re going to improve.”

“It’s a Champions League match. It doesn’t matter who the opponent is or where they are, we want to win. Getting off to a good start is important; we already won at home, and we want to pick up points away from home.

“Play well, press well, defend well, attack well... With our form, with whoever comes out, it will be a competitive match. Kairat is well organized and has good momentum. We’ll have to take it seriously from the start.”

“We’ve seen their games, against Celtic, against Sporting... They have a well-formed core, with different attacking options. They know how to combine well, they play direct, they have a clear vision. They have to compete well.”

“I think the feeling should last 24 hours, whether we win or lose. Then, the analysis. It wasn’t just attitude. It was also rhythm, tactical aspects, and aspects of the game. The other stuff is a bit simplistic. We didn’t compete well. We’ve done the analysis and we’re going to use it. Now, Champions League mode. We have to move on. We’re thinking about what to do tomorrow, about the team that’s going to play. We don’t want to drop points.”

“Every game tells me something. I like to analyze it, see what we had prepared and what came out. With the players we have, we can do several things. We need Jude, Fede, Arda... It didn’t go as we expected the other day, but for what’s coming up, we have a lot of options.”

“You have to adapt. We’ve changed the usual roadmap a bit. The smartest one adapts best. The game is just another one, not an excuse.”

“There are footballing reasons; we weren’t at our best. It wasn’t just attitude. It’s part of the learning process. We’ve been at it for 58 days, right? And there we go. It hurts, it hurt, but we’re back in Champions League mode.”

“We’re going to start with eleven players, and they’re eleven Real Madrid players. It’ll be a competitive team to play against a team making its Champions League debut, and they’ll demand a high level from us.”