Xabi Alonso on Trent Alexander-Arnold’s start to life at Real Madrid, Mbappe’s fitness and his first game in charge | OneFootball

Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso says Real Madrid fans can expect “rock and roll” ahead of his first game in charge of the club.

Alonso joined Real after two and a half years at German side Bayer Leverkusen, whom he led to their first Bundesliga title thanks to an unbeaten league campaign.

He replaced Carlo Ancelotti, who left the Spanish giants to take over as the head coach of the Brazilian national team.

The former Madrid midfielder was allowed to join up with the Spanish giants early ahead of the Club World Cup, who will kick off their tournament against Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal on Wednesday.

Alonso has been pleased by what he has seen from his team so far, and expects his side to improve the longer the competition goes on.

“I’ve sensed they’re eager and excited, after completing a fantastic era,” Alonso said. “There are new faces and the reception has been positive. The moment is good for everyone. The “ignition” aspect… we have to show it on the field. Tomorrow, rock and roll begins.”

“Nowadays it is essential that there is balance. That there is commitment and that everyone is involved in all phases. I want a team that is together, we have talked about it; because that is going to make it much easier for us.

“I’m sure that on the last day of the tournament we’ll be a better team than the one we’ve started, because we’re going to correct things. The starting point is tomorrow; we’ll see where we end up.”

There have been various new additions to the Real squad since Alonso’s arrival, including Trent Alexander-Arnold, who joined Los Blancos for £10 million after they agreed an early release from his expiring deal with Liverpool, and the £50m addition of Dean Huijsen from Bournemouth.

And Alonso says he is looking forward to seeing them in action.

On the competition between Alexander-Arnold and veteran right-back Dani Carvajal, he said: “It is a privilege to have such top players. Trent is more flexible in positions, but Carva [Carvajal] has a lot of personality and competitiveness. The initial impact of Trent has been very good.

“We’ve been working on this project since day one and I’m very happy with the squad, with the signings. Huijsen and Trent are great players, people who don’t need a lot of training or a lot of theory. They learn quickly. A process is underway, and we’ll start tomorrow.”

Alonso also revealed that forward Kylian Mbappe is a doubt for their Club World Cup opener: “Kylian felt a little better this morning, but not enough. It’s very hot, and it was better for him not to train. But we’ll wait until the last minute. We’ll decide tomorrow morning.

“As for the rest… they’re keen, but they’re at different stages. Rüdiger put in a tremendous effort this season, and I don’t know if he’ll be called up tomorrow, but he’s progressing well and will be the first to return.

“The rest will need a little more time. Camavinga is also improving quickly, but he needs time.”