Soccer coach sitting at a press conference with a ball, water bottles, and a microphone in front of him, background with sponsor logos.
Xabi Alonso, at the early morning press conference before the match against Juventus, replied to Guardiola for his criticism of the World Cup | Camara Real Madrid Confidencial
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Xabi Alonso's unexpected response to Guardiola: hours later, he was eliminated

Madrid's manager assessed some statements from Guardiola, who was very critical of the Club World Cup, while his City is already out

by

Carlos Higueras Carrasco

Real Madrid will face Juventus this Tuesday in the round of 16 (9 p.m. Spanish time) at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, where the Whites made their debut last June 18 against Al-Hilal (1-1). The Arabs pulled off a surprise early this morning, when they "knocked out" Manchester City led by Pep Guardiola (3-4) at the first opportunity.

The Catalan coach, who hasn't even managed to rebuild a team after spending nearly €140 million before the World Cup, had been very critical of FIFA for the tournament, going so far as to state that in November there could be severe "failures" that could significantly impact the upcoming season.

Xabi Alonso was asked about this during the press conference he gave from Florida around midnight, as Jose María Carrascal would say, after the team's training session. The Tolosa native was blunt and didn't want to get involved in a pointless battle against FIFA over a World Cup that, given what we've seen, Gianni Infantino was right to reformat.

"That's not how I feel. We're not thinking about the medium or long term, that's what next season will be for. It doesn't have time in our conversations, we're focused on the World Cup and now we're going for Juve. That's what's on our minds," Alonso insisted, distancing himself from Guardiola's views on the World Cup.

"What wasn't clear at the start is gaining momentum and now we have a great match between Madrid and Juventus. PSG will face Bayern, Inter have been eliminated…  The format is working, it's attracting people, and we're very much into the tournament," added Madrid's coach, who warned that the moment of truth for the team is starting now.

Another failure

Guardiola's words, before and during the World Cup, could be part of a very calculated strategy by the former footballer who, as always, handles the famous narrative like no one else. In this case, it was necessary to justify in any way possible the failure of a City that has been falling apart for almost a year and that its coach can't improve even with a blank check.

A soccer coach with a serious expression walks with his head down across the field while players from both teams greet each other in the background after a match.
Pep Guardiola, downcast, after City's elimination from the Club World Cup against Al-Hilal | Real Madrid Confidencial

Be that as it may, Guardiola's problems regarding the World Cup have come to an end after adding another failure and being eliminated by Al-Hilal  which became a meme when, two weeks ago, it managed to draw against Madrid. The Saudis will now face Fluminense in the quarterfinals (Friday, 9 p.m. Spanish time).

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