Xabi Alonso Praises the Impact of Real Madrid’s New Signings
Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso has praised the impact of the team’s new signings after the 1-0 victory against Osasuna in the first LaLiga match. Three of Madrid’s summer signings, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Dean Huijsen and Álvaro Carreras, were starters at the Santiago Bernabéu. In addition, Franco Mastantuono made his debut in the second half, leaving a good impression. Kylian Mbappé scored the only goal of the match from the penalty spot after a foul by Juan Cruz. Abel Bretones was sent off for the visiting team in added time.Alonso added in the post-match press conference: “They did well, maybe not spectacular, but serious. There were no mistakes or nerves. Franco has brought good energy.” Mastantuono, who turned 18 the previous Thursday, trained with his new teammates for the first time on Friday, but showed confidence in his debut at the Bernabéu.“The new signings were good, they have all landed on the right foot. Those who played in the Club World Cup and Franco Mastantuono, who debuted today, are players we will have here for years. Neither the shirt nor being at the Bernabéu weighed on them”.
Xabi Alonso
Alonso acknowledged that there is room for improvement after a match in which Madrid dominated possession, but had difficulties creating clear chances. “There are positive things, starting with the result. After two weeks of training, against a team that had a longer preseason, things were missing.” “There were good things and others to improve. It’s a long road.” Madrid seeks to improve its performance in the 2024-25 season, in which they failed to win any major title under the direction of Carlo Ancelotti.“It looks good. I thought he could contribute. He had good minutes, he had impact.”
Xabi Alonso
“[Alonso] wanted us to have a lot of control of the ball and to play from one side to the other so that the other team wouldn’t have space to play. There are things we can improve, we have just returned from vacation, but it’s positive”.
Kylian Mbappé
