The Real Madrid coach is solely focused on the task at hand.
Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso has refused to be drawn into a war of words with Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal ahead of Sunday’s Clasico.
Alonso will lead his first Clasico as manager at the Santiago Bernabéu, with Madrid having the chance to move five points clear at the top of La Liga.
Much of the build-up to the match was dominated by comments made by Yamal on a social media feed, in which he claimed Madrid were “stealing” and “complaining”.
Asked about these remarks during his pre-match press conference, Alonso chose to remain focused on matters on the pitch.
“I’m not going to address that,” Alonso said. “There are a lot of statements coming from Barcelona and we cannot evaluate them all.
“The important thing is the pitch and what happens there, where we come from, what awaits us and how we play the game. That’s what matters the most and what we have worked on.
“The most important thing is us: our quality and our strength. Then there are the small game plans on what we want, with and without the ball. We have to stick together, control the moments of pressure and the distances. That’s what we focus on to be more consistent in our game.”
Madrid’s biggest game at this stage was the derby with Atletico Madrid last month, which saw Los Blancos beaten 5-2.
Since then, they have won four in a row while conceding just one goal.
When asked if this match was a turning point for his team, Alonso replied: “A few weeks have passed since the derby and we have corrected things and improved.
“I think we are in a good mood, we are playing well and we are competing well. It’s a good time. I like to evaluate the process and in the 12 matches we have played there have been improvements.
“There is room for improvement, but it is November and no trophies have been won yet. There is still a long way to go in the season, but at the moment we are only thinking about the Clasico.”
