Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso insists the team’s shortened pre-season will not be an excuse as they prepare to open their La Liga campaign against Osasuna on Tuesday at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Zig Diaries Sports
Date: Monday, 18 August 2025
Time: 15:30 WAT
Location: 📍 Madrid, Spain
Madrid’s request to postpone the opener was rejected, leaving the squad with just two weeks of preparation and one friendly match since their July 9 loss to PSG in New Jersey.
Alonso will take charge at the Bernabeu for the first time after leading Madrid
to the Club World Cup semi-finals in the United States. Despite the brief
preparation period, he is determined to set the tone for his reign.
“Obviously,
it would have been nice to receive some support with our request, especially
for the players’ health… after such a long season and to have a little more
preparation time,” Alonso said on Monday. “But anyway, in the end it wasn’t to
be and that’s that. We’ve only had two weeks and there’s no point looking for
excuses now.”
The coach
has several new signings, including former Liverpool defender Trent
Alexander-Arnold, at his disposal as Madrid seeks to move on from a
disappointing end to the Carlo Ancelotti era. Last season, the club finished
second in La Liga to Barcelona and suffered a quarter-final exit to Arsenal in
Europe, after winning the Champions League and La Liga in 2023-24.
Alonso, who
previously led Bayer Leverkusen to a Bundesliga and German Cup double, was
cautious about setting expectations. “I tend to be more of a doer than a
talker. So making promises before taking action in football doesn’t usually
work,” he said.
He
emphasized hard work and earning results on the pitch: “We are working hard and
people are eager, you can feel that. We are also very eager, we want to start
this new project with new players, a new coach, and bring the energy we have to
the stadium, and then earn it, not just talk about it. Talking about it won’t
make it happen… We have to earn it and we have to start tomorrow on that path
to get where we want to be in May.”
Alonso also
fully backed Madrid’s opposition to plans for a December La Liga game in Miami
between Villarreal and Barcelona, agreeing with the club’s assertion that it
would “give an undue sporting advantage” to the teams involved.
Fact-Check & Background
Madrid’s pre-season preparations have been truncated after their July 9 loss to PSG in New Jersey, with the club requesting a delay for the La Liga opener, which was denied by Spanish football officials.
Alonso, who previously guided Bayer Leverkusen to a Bundesliga and German Cup double, has taken charge following the Club World Cup in the U.S.
The club’s La Liga opener against Osasuna marks the start of Alonso’s project with several new signings, including Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Madrid has publicly opposed the proposed December La Liga game in Miami, citing competitive fairness concerns.
🏷️Tags: Real Madrid, Xabi Alonso, La Liga 2025, Osasuna, Pre-Season, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Spanish football, Santiago Bernabeu, Football news, Zig Diaries Sports
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