Sergio Aguero believes former Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold is in the perfect place to excel after he joined Real Madrid this summer to work under Xabi Alonso.
Real Madrid secured the signature of Alexander-Arnold before their Club World Cup but that did not stop them from being humiliated. The Spanish giant crashed out of the tournament a few weeks ago, losing 4-0 to PSG in the semifinals.
While many have claimed the club needs some time to blend together, Aguero thinks that Alonso will get the team — and Alexander-Arnold — playing well.
“It’s vital to remember Xabi Alonso has taken the helm of Madrid very recently,” Aguero, who scored 184 goals during his time in the Premier League, told Stake. “He needs time to shape the team to his vision.
“No doubt that a team like Real Madrid demands good results and quickly. But we should let Xabi develop his strategy. A single bad match at the Club World Cup’s semi-finals shouldn’t be cause for alarm.
Xabi Alonso, Head Coach of Real Madrid, speaks with Trent Alexander-Arnold. (Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images)
“He’s got great players, and Madrid will always be Madrid. I think Xabi did a great job in Germany, so I can’t see why he wouldn’t be successful in the present too.
“If [Alexander-Arnold] can repeat all the great things he did at Liverpool for Madrid, surely so. He’s got great conditions to adapt to a new team and a new league, so time will tell.”
Alexander-Arnold has been impressed with Xabi Alonso who took over from Carlo Ancelotti this summer and believes he has been getting his ideas across.
“When he [Alonso] joins in in training, you can see he has still got high quality, which is amazing to see,” Alexander-Arnold told The Athletic during the group stage of the Club World Cup.
“I grew up watching him and he has not lost any quality at all. He can still lace them up and get out there and get out there with us if he wanted to. He’s still that good.
“Obviously the way he can adapt to different teams [is impressive]. We changed the system in a short space of time [for the Juventus game] and the way he gets his messages across means it’s very clear.
“We can understand perfectly what we need to do as individuals and as a team. Everyone’s got to get used to it. It worked, clearly, so that’s a good start but obviously we have a lot of work to do.
All eyes will be on Alexander-Arnold when the new season starts as Real Madrid aim to claim the biggest trophies in Spain from their fierce rival Barcelona.
