Real Madrid have got a brilliant coach in Xabi Alonso. They needed that switch from Carlo Ancelotti to a younger, advanced coach.
They also have a brilliant player in Álvaro Carreras.
It has been good to see these two work together and solve the biggest full-back problem Real Madrid have had in a very long time.
Carreras has been training with Real Madrid for the last couple of days now, and his thoughts on Alonso echo exactly why he is such a brilliant coach.
He was asked about him by Real Madrid’s social media team, and he talked about how fun it is to work with Xabi.
Alvaro Carreras seems to be enjoying working under Xabi Alonso.
“Mister Xabi is very intense, but with clear ideas, and I really like that,” said Carreras.
To have that sort of trust with the manager, and that intensity with the rest of the group - I think that’s really important, especially for a young, new player at the club.
Last season, it was kind of obvious to everyone at the club that they needed another left-back.
Fran García was good, but he either wasn’t trusted enough, or sometimes he was just really nervous - and that didn’t help his case.
Ferland Mendy was either always injured or, whenever he was fit, played like a shell of himself.
I still don’t understand, by the way, why they gave Mendy the extension when he clearly didn’t deserve it - but that’s another story.
Fast forward a few months: García played really well in the Club World Cup, and shortly after that, Real Madrid sign Álvaro Carreras from Benfica for €50 million. That’s a good deal.
Real Madrid now have two good left-backs - if García keeps his level up - and I think that’s really good for the club.
They haven’t had a left-back who could actually play like a proper left-back in a very long time.
Maybe Carreras doesn’t match the intensity Xabi Alonso wants from him at the start — but I think that’s a gradual process. It takes time. It takes a lot of hard work. I don’t have any doubts that Carreras will provide that.
When these things start clicking as soon as the league starts, that’s when we’ll start seeing more and more production from the left wing.
Not just because Vinícius Júnior would improve, but also because Álvaro Carreras will bring that extra oomph in both attack and defence. So I’m excited.