With only a week in charge of his players, and not all of them available due to international commitments, Xabi Alonso has worked very hard to ensure that the team can overcome one of the major problems it will face during this Club World Cup: the excessive heat in the United States at a time when the players’ health is at greatest risk. That is why the Tolosa-born coach has devised a plan to ensure that this does not pose a major problem for his players.
Xabi Alonso puts his foot down
From the first day they set foot on the pitch at Valdebebas, the players noticed a big change from Carlo Ancelotti, with a great deal more physical work in training under the new management. He stepped it up a notch and subjected the players, who were arriving in dribs and drabs, to a much higher intensity than they had experienced to date. At first, it was seen as a simple statement of intent, to show his players how important physical fitness is to him, but there was more to this physical beating than meets the eye.
Xabi Alonso’s plan
During Xabi Alonso’s first week, especially the first few days, the Spanish capital had to endure high temperatures, which made the sessions even tougher. Xabi Alonso, who misses absolutely nothing, instead of seeing a problem, saw an advantage over other teams and countries that do not have such extreme temperatures as those experienced in Madrid in recent days. As one of the teams making their World Cup debut the latest, this allowed him to make the most of the time in Madrid, at home, to make the players aware of what was in store for them.
Xabi Alonso has studied every aspect, and the heat is no exception, so he devised a series of training sessions in which his players were able to experience what it is like to play in high temperatures.
An unexpected ally
However, Real Madrid may find an unexpected ally for Wednesday’s game. Xabi Alonso’s team’s first game will be played in Miami, one of the hottest cities in the United States. On the day of the game, 3:00 p.m. (local time), the temperature is expected to be around 86 degrees. But the good news is that, in principle, they will not have to play under the sun, which can raise the ambient temperature considerably, as rain is expected on the pitch at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.
Real Madrid will make their debut in Miami at 9:00 p.m. (Spanish time) against Al-Hilal. Xabi Alonso’s men are clear favorites to take the victory, and anything less than a win will be a disappointment, as the Whites’ superiority should be evident from the first minute of play. The Whites have high hopes for this new continental title. They want to be the first team to have their name engraved on the new trophy, they are confident about their progress throughout the championship, and they want to make football history once again.
The road ahead does not seem to present any major problems at the start; they will have to play and they will have to win. The problems should start in the round of 16, when they begin to face tougher opponents. The heat will be a key factor to take into account, but Xabi Alonso and his team, after subjecting the players to unexpected physical hardship, hope that they will be better prepared than the rest of their rivals.