Xabi Alonso to take lessons from FIFA Club World Cup after Real Madrid's exit

Real Madrid boss Xabi Alonso has learned what his new team must do to improve following their elimination at the hands of PSG at the FIFA Club World Cup.

The Spanish giants were soundly beaten by the European champions in Wednesday's semi-final, thanks to a 4-0 victory for Luis Enrique's men, which booked them a meeting with Chelsea in this weekend's showpiece. 

Madrid, however, now have to regroup and look towards next season as Alonso begins his first season in charge of the club following his arrival at the start of the tournament. 

The former midfielder believes he is now much clearer on his objectives after events in the US. 

“I'm leaving with certainties," Alonso told the media following the defeat. 

"This tournament has taught me many things about what we are and what we have to improve. I'm leaving with a perspective for next year, when we will recover players, and there will be changes.

"Next season will be different, but I'll leave with clear certainties. I take all the information that this tournament has given me. We want to build a team that plays as a unit and where everyone is involved.”



PSG raced into a 2-0 lead inside the first ten minutes at the MetLife Stadium, and for Alonso, it gave him a clear indication of how far apart his Madrid team is from the Champions League winners. 

He added, “Going 2-0 down early on is a conditioning factor. We wanted to play an intense game, and after that, you face it in a different way.

"More than the distance between the two teams is the margin we have to improve. It's the end of this season and not the start of the next. We’ll take the positives from this Club World Cup period.  

"We're leaving as a better team. It's a starting point for a better start next season. I'm talking about the team and not the players.

"Today, we had some shortcomings, and sometimes it's good to see the mistakes so that they can be useful for the future. If we repeat the same mistake over and over again, we won't be intelligent.”
 

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