Xabi Alonso: "We're in the semi-finals and I'm happy with the game"
"After going 2-1 up, there was some confusion and we need to look at that and improve," said our coach.
Xabi Alonso appeared in the press room at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey after the victory against Borussia Dortmund and qualification for the semi-finals of the Club World Cup: "That's football. Until 2-1, we controlled the game quite well and had it on our side. From then on, too many things happened in too short a space of time. We're in the semi-finals and we're happy. Hopefully, it will serve as a lesson not to let ourselves get carried away and to be focused for the whole game. I'm happy with the game: very serious, very much a quarter-final match".
“We were dominating the game well and with the changes we took control. We even had chances to score the third. The fans were really behind us, but after the 2-1 there was some confusion and we need to look at that and improve. We have to take the positives so that what happened at the end of today doesn't happen again in the future if we find ourselves in the same position”.
PSG in the semi-finals
“A fantastic game. Today we had an opponent that goes deep into the Champions League and now we face the reigning champions. They are on a positive run and are the next step in this new phase. We are growing and we are going to prepare to play against them. They are on a very positive run since the Champions League round of 16 and are playing at a high level. It's going to be a big challenge for us.”
“We have to win the semi-final and then we'll talk about winning the tournament if we're in the final. We have to improve as a team and compete. We're much closer and we're going to keep it up because the rhythm is good.”
Courtois' final save
"I thought we were very lucky to have Courtois. He's one of those goalkeepers who wins games and has a very positive influence on the squad. We're very lucky to have him”.
Huijsen's absence due to his sending off
“The game has just finished and I'm not thinking about the semi-finals. I'm going to take a couple of hours to relax and when we're on the plane I'll think about it. It's not good news to lose him, but that's why we're a team and we'll try to replace him".
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Praise for Fran García
“He's having a great tournament, with top-level concentration and intensity. He reads the game well with and without the ball and today he benefited a lot from the fact that Vini Jr. was attracting a lot of attention. I'm very happy for him because he's one of our own, with a great attitude and he's an example of how to prepare. I told him that if he got the chance, he could score, and today he was where he needed to be”.
Gonzalo's form
“I've talked a lot about him and today he did it again. He has the characteristics of a goalscorer and has had a great season with Castilla. He's in the right place at the right time. We're happy with the work he's doing and he's backing it up with goals”.
Valverde's versatility
"We changed a few things today because he had to drop back a little and change his style of play. He's a very complete player and can do everything well. When we saw that Trent was tired, we put him at full-back and he's a top player for us”.
Trent's progress
“We've been here for three weeks and he's been at Liverpool for 15 years. It's a big change and it's intense, and that takes time. He had a solid first half and is growing both in terms of integrating into the new club and in terms of the ideas. We're happy with him".
His system
“It can be flexible during the game. It depends on the positioning of Tchouameni, and saying 4-2-3-1 or 4-1-4-1 is very static. Football forces you to do a lot of things nowadays, and I don't get too hung up on the system. The most important thing is that the players understand what we need at any given moment within our game plan.”
Mbappé
“He's better, although he's not 100% yet. Now we have three days to continue progressing and getting a feel for the semi-finals.”
The second goal
"Sometimes we need to have Fran and Trent high, tight to the touchline. They both have the qualities to attack, but we need stability in the centre to control the game. In that move, we attacked with both full-backs, which is something we're working on. They feel they have that freedom.”
Where do you think the team has grown the most?
“One of the main objectives was to play closer together, be compact and know when to attack and defend. To make the distances more effective and not too big. That was the main objective and we're improving and progressing."