LaLiga: Alonso warns against overconfidence before Madrid derby

Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso warned his broadside against overconfidence up of Saturday’s sojourn to look metropolis rivals Atletico Madrid successful La Liga.

Los Blancos person won each lucifer they person played this season, starring the apical formation by 2 points up of champions Barcelona and 9 from Atletico, who are languishing successful ninth.

However the Spaniard, coaching the squad for the archetypal clip successful a derby clash against Atletico, said his players indispensable support their feet connected the ground.

“Every crippled is precise hard to win… we cannot beryllium overconfident,” Alonso told a quality league Friday.

“Just by going retired connected to the transportation it doesn’t mean we are going to win, we person to beryllium accordant successful our performance.

“The much we thatch ourselves to beryllium active, the much games we volition win. If we person that earthy activation, we volition beryllium capable to assertion galore points.”

Despite rising disapproval of manager Diego Simeone for Atletico’s struggles successful caller months, aft they finished past play trophyless, Alonso hailed the long-serving Argentinian and admitted helium could not ideate specified longevity for himself astatine Real Madrid astatine the moment.

Simeone has led Atletico since December 2011 and has the longest reign of immoderate manager astatine a Spanish top-flight club.

“What helium has done is truthful large — I’m conscionable starting, I person to spell slowly,” said Alonso.

“I’m not mounting specified a semipermanent extremity for myself.”

The erstwhile Real Madrid midfielder refused to springiness immoderate clues distant implicit his starting line-up, but said Jude Bellingham and Eduardo Camavinga were acceptable capable to commencement aft precocious returning from wounded and playing arsenic substitutes.

– ‘First clip for everything’ –

Alonso said determination would beryllium a “potent” ambiance astatine Atletico’s Metropolitano stadium, but it would not regularisation him retired of starting immoderate caller arrivals who person not played earlier successful a Madrid derby.

“I’d beryllium losing a batch of ‘bullets’ if I did that, a batch of cardinal elements,” said Alonso.

“There’s ever a archetypal clip for everything and we request everyone tomorrow, truthful they consciousness the large atmosphere.

“It’s bully to consciousness it before, during, after… 1 (team) volition observe more, 1 volition person a mates of pugnacious days, but that’s however derbies go, present successful Madrid and astir everywhere.”

Atletico manager Diego Simeone’s broadside were eliminated by Real Madrid successful the Champions League past 16 erstwhile the teams past met successful March, with Julian Alvarez’s spot-kick successful the punishment shoot-out controversially disallowed for a treble touch.

“I unrecorded successful the present,” said Atletico manager Simeone erstwhile asked astir erstwhile meetings betwixt the sides.

“Madrid person grown successful their corporate play. The manager is moving hard to property higher up the pitch, and that’s wherefore they’ve won each game.”

The manager noted his squad had 1 less day’s remainder than Los Blancos.

“We’ll person to marque a immense effort, with lone 3 days of rest, and it each depends connected our mentality,” continued Simeone.

“It volition beryllium a hard-fought crippled successful midfield, with the transitions key. That’s the benignant of crippled I imagine.”

The station LaLiga: Alonso warns against overconfidence earlier Madrid derby appeared archetypal connected Vanguard News.