Xavi Alonso: Our penalty taker is Mbappe, it’s only a matter of time before Wirtz succeeds

At 4:00 in the morning on November 5th, in the fourth round of the UEFA Champions League, Real Madrid played away to Liverpool. Before the game, Real Madrid coach Xavi Alonso attended the press conference and talked about some of the team's current situation.

About the special game at Anfield

- On the one hand, this is a classic matchup in European football, both in terms of history and current situation. The fans love watching games like this and both Arnold and I have our stories here. It feels good to return to a place that loved you so much, but we're here for a good outcome.

About the choice of penalty kicker

- We have designated who is the penalty kicker, Mbappe. Then it's up to them to decide. Tomorrow's first penalty kicker will be Mbappe.

About Arnold

- He is in good condition. He did not play in the game against Valencia because of tactical arrangements, but he can play now. We need him, he has a very high level and is in a new stage, and we need to help him get the best out of him.

About your time at Liverpool

- That time had a great impact on me, it was not an insignificant experience. I spent five years under Benitez and learned a lot about top-level football and that experience helped me get to where I am today. If you love football, you'll love playing here. It was a great time and helped me a lot in my career as a player and as a coach. I still remember many things from that time and the lessons are still useful today.

About Arbeloa

- I will not give myself a score, there will be a final conclusion. Arbeloa deserves full marks, I know how difficult it is to coach a reserve team.

About crazy moments

- I believe my players have experienced many such moments. They know that there is a kind of power and energy generated at certain times in the game. They are experienced players. I give them a lot of credit, but at the end of the day it's the guys on the field who control everything. From the bench, you don't have full control.

About the team’s few goals from set pieces

– We are working hard to improve this.

Regarding the penalty kick you took in the final in Istanbul (2005)

- in the most recent league game before that, Gerrard missed the penalty kick and a week later we played in the final and Benitez appointed me as one of the penalty takers, or Kewell. When that moment came, Kewell wasn't on the pitch. So I took the penalty and didn't score the first time, but I did score the second time. This also changed the history of Liverpool.

About returning to Anfield

- I try not to let emotions interfere with myself, but focus on the game itself, and let what happens after that happen. I'm trying to stay away from the emotions, which is what I do every time I go back to any stadium, and I want to be able to focus on the game.

About Wirtz

- I believe he will succeed, I have no doubt about it. It was only a matter of time and it was a big change for him, who had spent his entire life in Germany. He needs to adapt here, he is a very competitive person, which is one of the reasons why he is here, and I am looking forward to seeing him start to show his quality.

Criticisms about Arnold's experience

- His experience is different from mine, he is local. I still remember him in the academy.

About training at Real Madrid

- This is not out of any suspicion or conspiracy theory. Just because we have better control over everything at the Valdebebas base. It's possible to give information to your opponent here, which I don't think is the best option.

Regarding Ancelotti talking about Vinicius

- For me, the important thing is that we talked about it on Friday and the matter has been resolved. This kind of thing can happen, but we don't want it to happen again and this matter has been resolved.

About scoring goals and keeping the pressure

– that’s something we have to remember. Against Juventus, the game was always close. When you have a chance and you spot the opponent's weakness, you can score goals. Especially in this format, stronger teams that score more goals in the early rounds will be ranked higher. We grow as we learn and if we have a chance to score we should take it and then the knockout stages follow. If ranked ninth, the situation becomes completely different.

About the free kick taker

- We have several free kick takers, but ultimately it is up to the players themselves. There are several different options.