Xabi Alonso said his Real Madrid dismissal felt premature and explained why he chose to take the Chelsea job after time away. GOAL reported that Real Madrid appointed Alonso at the start of last season and dismissed him after a defeat in the Spanish Super Cup final in January.
His view on the Real Madrid exit
Speaking to former Liverpool team-mate Jamie Carragher on Sky Sports’ programme Boss, Alonso said: "I felt as though it finished a little bit earlier, before knowing if the season was going to end well. It was the middle of the season. We were still in La Liga, the Champions League, but it was an experience to manage Real Madrid."
GOAL reported that Real Madrid temporarily turned to Alvaro Arbeloa after Alonso's dismissal, and that Jose Mourinho had later been appointed by Real Madrid.
How he looks back on that spell
Speaking to former Liverpool team-mate Jamie Carragher on Sky Sports’ programme Boss, Alonso said: "Real Madrid is special in everything. It’s a little bit different to other clubs in everything. I learned from that, and I don’t look back in anger. I look back, thinking I tried and gave my best. Now I’m focusing on the future, but I had to try it."
GOAL reported that Real Madrid were due to travel to Camp Nou on Sunday to play Barcelona in the first El Clasico of the season.
Why he chose Chelsea
Alonso told Carragher: "It was about the timing. For me it was the right timing after Bayer Leverkusen, after Real Madrid. I had my time off."
He added: "And I wanted to choose to have that good connection, that good feeling about where to go, and I know Chelsea."
His view of the Chelsea project
Alonso told Carragher: "I had no link , but what I heard… The potential is there, few things could change. And I thought that we could start this journey together. I feel have a very strong base, the squad is very good. With some improvement, new signings of different profiles, we could have a solid team."
He also said: "It was gonna be a project… We know it’s going to take some more years, but the first year is important and here we are, just starting. But so far the feeling is that we could be aligned, on the same page. That’s going to be important."
GOAL reported that Alonso had guided Chelsea to fourth in the table and that Chelsea were due to host Tottenham on Saturday.