Alonso: We want to achieve victory tomorrow, but it is not essential

Xabi Alonso appeared in a press conference to talk about tomorrow's match against Olympiacos, within the fifth round of the group stage of the UEFA Champions League.

The coach said: "We need a good match, and after these recent games, we want to regain the taste of victory. To achieve that, we have to play well, with focus, and know that it is an important match for qualification. Although we have 9 points, we want to collect more. After the Liverpool match and the next two league matches, tomorrow we want to achieve another result."

He added: "I have not only followed Olympiacos because we knew we would play against them in the Champions League, but also because I have great personal appreciation for Mendilibar and Darko Kovacevic. I know what they achieved in the Conference League and what they did last year. Mendilibar is a great coach and a person who presents very intense football. He has succeeded in achieving that with Olympiacos and is now receiving this recognition, as he did at Eibar and other clubs. I am very happy that he is getting it here."

Regarding Real Madrid not winning in Greece: "We have talked about that. We hope to be able to win tomorrow. Everything has a first time there."

He continued: "Are you worried that the team does not grasp what you want to implement? It is a process. Every change requires a process and does not happen immediately. If we look at the last three matches, there are things I did not like. We talked about them and analyzed them, but if we look beyond that, there were good moments and we presented good things. We will try to rely on that thread of intensity, collective quality in play, and the collective idea that gave us a good level to win matches. We were not consistent in some phases of play with and without the ball, and that is why we had bad matches. Now the time has come for tomorrow's match. What we talk about is very clear and does not change much from one match to another, but this is football, and sometimes things go better. The expressions shown during the match are momentary things and feelings expressed by the players. I understand them because I have been through them. They are not very important. The most important thing is when we talk and analyze among ourselves and all agree on what we want."

Regarding managing selfishness and arrogance in the locker room: "It is as important as the football idea, tactics, and physical work. You have to bring out the best in the players and make them feel as good as possible. It is a process with different curves, but you have to know how to draw it well. This is fundamental at Real Madrid and any team. All experiences help, and knowing great players who had this collective and individual ambition to do things well helps you at this moment. The atmosphere, what happens, and the intuition you must have inside the locker room are not very different."

About passing six months as Real Madrid coach: "Things are going as I expected. It is work that requires a lot, with good moments and others where you need focus and connection. Moments when you must react, and we are now in one of those moments. I enjoy the whole package, everything it means, and it is a pride and privilege, as I said on the first day and still say. It is hard work, that is clear, but I am certainly not the first Real Madrid coach to go through such situations. I think a lot about how Carlo, Mourinho, or Pellegrini would have handled it because these are not new situations and must be lived with. We have a level of responsibility and self-criticism. We are not satisfied with the recent matches. We also see the situation we are in, whether in the league or Champions League, and where we want to get to. Combining all that, I enjoy it."

About the difficulty of living with the players: "I have had to live a lot with great players and big personalities, and they are demanding and professional and always want the best. They have such reactions because they are natural, and that helps them to be good. This is the privilege of being at Real Madrid, where you have players at this level, and then you must be in constant contact with them. The players are the most important in all teams. We have an important role in preparing them and making decisions, but in the end, what decides things is the quality, the players' attitude, and their readiness. Everything will depend on them. We accompany them and must be by their side."

Regarding whether players might pose a threat to his position: "You must respect the players a lot, respect the groups, and how they prepare. I do not want and will not talk about that because I know what the locker room means, the moments it goes through, and how to live with external noise. We try to talk about it and try to deal with it because these situations repeat in the club, but they should not make us lose focus on what is important. We can control how we train, how we work, how we deal with each other, and how we get through these moments of undesirable results. We know their consequences, but they should not take us off the path we want."

He added: "Does it surprise you that your position is questioned? I imagine this is not the first time this question has been raised, but we know the moment we are living and the situation we are in, whether in the league or the Champions League. What worries me is what happens at Valdebebas, tomorrow on the pitch, and the preparation with the players. As for other matters, I do not pay much attention. We have not even reached 100 days, and this will continue to develop both individually and collectively, personally and football-wise. We still have a long way to go. Sometimes the path is straight, and sometimes it is curved, as happened in these three results we did not expect. We are aware of that and criticize ourselves. Tomorrow we have a new opportunity, and that is where the focus is."

In conclusion: "Did you receive a message of support from the president? It is not necessary. I spoke this morning with the president, and I talk a lot with José Ángel Sánchez. The daily work is what keeps us in contact, and I spoke this morning with the president."