Xabi says Madrid makeover 'a process' after draw

Xabi Alonso called for patience aft Real Madrid's 1-1 gully with Al Hilal successful their opening crippled astatine the Club World Cup, saying implementing the changes helium wants to marque "will instrumentality time."

Madrid struggled successful the archetypal fractional astatine Hard Rock Stadium, Miami, earlier young guardant Gonzalo García enactment them up successful the 34th minute.

Rúben Neves equalised for Al Hilal from the punishment spot, and Madrid had the accidental to triumph the crippled successful added clip with different penalty, lone for goalkeeper Yassine Bounou to prevention Federico Valverde's spot kick.

"The 2nd fractional was overmuch amended than the first," Alonso said successful his post-match quality conference. "In the archetypal fractional we lacked a batch of things, we didn't person balance. We've talked astir that.

"I liked the reaction. We were capable to alteration our rhythm, person much control, and play much successful the absorption half. It's a process. We person to instrumentality the positives and look to improve."

Alonso, who replaced predecessor Carlo Ancelotti aft Madrid failed to onshore a large trophy past season, lone took his archetypal grooming league connected June 9, earlier flying to the United States for the tournament.

"I knew it would instrumentality time," helium said. "There are things we person to change. We'll person to close them, and we'll support doing that. Everything takes time, we've had 9 days, and immoderate players person had conscionable 3 grooming sessions. It's demanding, we're successful a competition, but we privation to learn, and what we privation to bash volition instrumentality time."

"[Alonso] wants to spot his mode of playing, a antithetic mode to support and a antithetic mode to attack," goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois said. "We were with Ancelotti for 4 years, we person immoderate 'automatisms' and we person to alteration them to what the caller manager wants.

"That doesn't hap successful 4 days. We're trying, we're watching videos, talking a lot, and it volition get better. We'll larn a batch from this archetypal game."

Madrid were without prima guardant Kylian Mbappé -- who scored 43 goals successful each competitions past play -- for the game, aft helium came down with a fever this week.

"We don't know," Alonso said, erstwhile asked if Mbappé would instrumentality for Madrid's adjacent crippled with Pachuca connected Sunday. "We'll person to spot however his betterment goes. The past 2 days he's been sick with a virus."