Real Madrid's Xabi Alonso can't wait for clash with former club
Real Madrid midfielder Xabi Alonso revealed today that he can’t wait to take on Real Sociedad as he returns to his former club for the first time in a La Liga clash tomorrow.
Alonso started his career with the San Sebastian club after growing up as a fan of the team. He told Madrid’s official website, “It will be special to play against my former team. I have been a fan since I was little and by the time I was ten I had season
tickets and went to every game. Guipuzcoanos are very proud of their team. I think the mix of academy players and foreigners has really worked out."
He joined Madrid last summer but has not yet been able to play against Sociedad as they were in the Segunda Division for the last few years before gaining promotion last term.
Tough game ahead
The World Cup winner added that Madrid would not be taking the challenge of Sociedad lightly after the club got their season off to a good start, which has seen them pick up four points from their opening two games, including a win over Villareal.
Alonso said that: "Real Sociedad have a good coach (Martin Lasarte) who works his men hard. They also have a team built primarily of academy players, which makes their commitment even greater. They play with two central midfielders, [Mikel] Aramburu and
[Diego] Rivas. I know them very well and they are hard workers, so we need to be very astute. We may have some difficulties if we aren't on top of our game. We will do our best to win."
The 28-year-old former Liverpool player also revealed that he has faith in his manager Jose Mourinho and the way that the Portuguese decides to set up the team. He said that Mourinho opts for a flexible 4-2-3-1 which can very quickly change into 4-3-3 or
4-1-4-1 depending on whether Madrid has possession or has to chase the ball. Alonso added that: “I feel very comfortable with the system used by Mourinho.”
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