New Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso has insisted that his real work at the club only starts now.
Speaking after a comprehensive 4-0 defeat against Paris Saint-Germain in the Club World Cup semi-finals, Alonso announced “a restart from zero.”
Alonso took over from Carlo Ancelotti just before the tournament in the United States with no time to implement his ideas.
“We are in a competitive environment here, without proper training,” Alonso said.
“It’s the end of this season and not the start of the next. We’ll take the positives from this Club World Cup period. We’re leaving as a better team. It’s a starting point for a better start next season.”
Alonso arrived from Bayer Leverkusen at the record Champions League winners he played for in the past.
Wednesday’s defeat was his first since in charge, and it was a painful one as PSG were 2-0 up after nine minutes after defensive mistakes, and led 3-0 another 15 minutes later.
Alonso named the defeat “painful” as PSG’s collective coached by Luis Enrique destroyed Real almost in the same way as they did in their 5-0 triumph over Inter Milan in the May 31 Champions League final.
While PSG now aim for the quadruple on Sunday against Chelsea, having also won the French league and cup, Alonso must form a team from such skilled individuals including ex-PSG star Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior after a season without silverware.
“This tournament has taught me many things about what we are and what we have to improve,” he said. “We want to build a team that plays as a unit and where everyone is involved.”
Success won’t come instantly from next season onwards, Alonso warned, saying: “It’s the first defeat, but it won’t be the last. Anyone who thinks they’ll never lose is deluding themselves.
“It’s what we have to do and tomorrow we start a period of rest and recharging our brains. We can’t forget today’s game, but we can’t let this game drag us down either.”
The restart could also include reinforcements, as Alonso said: “We haven’t talked about it during the Club World Cup, but from now on we’re open to making improvements. We are always looking to improve and there’s room for improvement.”