Munich: Bayern Munich midfielder Xabi Alonso said he would love to have a star like Cristiano Ronaldo in the team as the Portuguese is now a complete player. Ronaldo has hit top gear in recent weeks after a brief goal drought, with five goals in his last two matches helping to propel Real Madrid to a six-point lead at the top of La Liga.
Alonso spent five years alongside Ronaldo with Madrid, winning La Liga, the Champions League, the Spanish Supercup and the Copa Del Rey twice before leaving to join Bayern in 2014. “Cristiano has adapted on the pitch. He’s not a central striker, (but) he wants to play closer to the area,” Alonso told Onda Cero. “He intuitively knows where the ball will go – a lot of goals are scored with his first touch.
“I think he’s done very well, having taken this step and getting closer to the area. As long as he’s getting 50 goals, I wish we had someone like him here. Cristiano’s numbers are amazing, indisputable,” he added. Alonso also said the success of Zinedine Zidane has surprised him in his first year in charge at the Santiago Bernabeu.
“Of course Zidane has surprised me as a coach. I didn’t know how he would do,” said Alonso, whose final year in the Spanish capital was spent with Zidane as assistant coach to Carlo Ancelotti. “He was helpful during the Decima year (in 2014). He couldn’t have done better. He won the Undecima (11th Champions League title), they have a six-point advantage and they’re dominating,” he added.
Alonso reckoned that Madrid’s presiding “air of superiority” bodes well for Saturday’s El Clasico at Camp Nou, while he considers Barcelona to be content with a counter-attacking approach. “Madrid has solidity when it comes to approaching matches. In games in which they play well and others where they’re not as good, they have the confidence that they’re going to do well,” he said.
“They have an air of superiority, in a good way. Barcelona are suffering in some games away from home. This Barca is better playing on the counter-attack, they’ve changed their type of game. In Pep Guardiola’s era, they were better playing positionally,” he said.
