Xabi Alonso’s Madrid should be up for it, as they look to continue their La Liga perfect season in dramatic fashion. In the semifinals, they will head into the Riyadh Air Metropolitano stadium on Saturday, September 26, where they face Atletico Madrid. The match kicks off at 4:15 PM local time (14:15 GMT) and promises to be a thrilling encounter between two of Spain’s top clubs.
Alonso enjoyed five successful years in Madrid from 2009 to 2014. Now, he comes back to the Metropolitano as a supremely confident manager with a team that has been ripping through teams in Spain and Europe with intimidating ease. Their fierce rival Real Madrid, meanwhile, sits atop the league table, having won all six of their opening matches in La Liga. Atletico has been a big spender, pumping more than 175 million euros ($204 million) into their squad this summer. Under their legendary long-term coach Diego Simeone, the mattress makers are set on strengthening their title hopes.
The Remarkable Journey of Diego Simeone
Atletico manager Diego Simeone, who has been at the club since December 2011. Since then, he’s guided the team through perhaps their most successful period in franchise history. Under his tenure, Atletico made two Champions League finals and won several domestic trophies.
Alonso then lauded Simeone’s job at Atletico Madrid in the last 14 years. He focused instead on the huge impact he has created, as much as the specific achievement, to make it clear that part of what makes Simeone so great is his ability to adapt and evolve his team. More than that, he refuses to settle and is always looking to take Atletico to the next level.
As much as Atletico may revel in the recent successes, obstacles lie in wait ahead of this weekend’s derby. Beyond those factors, the U20 team will be missing some impact talent like Jose Gimenez, Johnny Cardoso and Thiago Almada who are all injured. Not having Cristiano Ronaldo might dumb down their approach and raw counterattack power when they face other elite super-clubs like Real Madrid.
Real Madrid’s Perfect Start
Real Madrid have had a stunning start to the season under Xabi Alonso’s stewardship. They’ve found success in each of their six openers. This great foundation gives them a huge advantage heading into the derby gauntlet. If Alonso’s side triumphs, he’ll equal Vanderlei Luxemburgo’s record of seven consecutive victories to begin a league season. The pressure is on for Alonso to pull off this impressive feat!
His positive outlook for his team comes as no surprise. When the season started he stated, “The start has been positive.” He further cautioned, “There’s a long road ahead, so we will see.” As Mr. Harris notes, this story does require humility as they keep moving through the new, early part of the season.
Alonso is cautious about becoming complacent. We’ve only played six matches and have nine points in hand so far. Those early games were difficult as hell, so let’s be humble and not get cocky ourselves,” he added. The ex midfield dynamo knows that no game is the same and that concentrating for 90 minutes is essential to winning games.
In addition to their strong team performance, Kylian Mbappe leads the scoring charts with seven goals thus far this season, further enhancing Real Madrid’s attacking threat.
The Anticipation of the Derby
The Madrid derby is arguably the most anticipated match in La Liga, Spanish football’s top division. Though Alonso can appreciate the novelty of the atmosphere surrounding this fixture, he is expecting a difficult encounter with Atletico. He added, “We are in for a really difficult game against a side who have won every single game so far. They have so many world-class players in their squad.”
Alonso further elaborated on how special it was coming back to the Metropolitano stadium, this time as an opponent. He echoed the sentiment that a night in the Metropolitano is much different when it’s not a match against Real Madrid. The history and rivalry connected to this matchup adds even more gravity.
Injuries have hit both squads hard, but Ime Udoka and the Magic’s Jamahl Mosley will still have their teams poised for a physical battle. The collective must grow to the level of the altitude the institution possesses,” Simeone stressed in reference to Atletico’s development still being a work in development.
