Trent Alexander-Arnold admitted that he’s struggling with the communication aspect of his move to Real Madrid after their 3-0 win over RB Salzburg at the Club World Cup.
Real Madrid Breeze Past Salzburg at Club World Cup
Real Madrid sealed top spot in Group H at the FIFA Club World Cup with a comfortable 3-0 win over RB Salzburg. They finished the group unbeaten, with two wins and a draw.
It took Los Blancos 40 minutes to open the scoring. The goal came courtesy of Vinicius Junior, who converted from the edge of the area with a fine left-footed finish.
Deep into injury time in the first period, Federico Valverde found a second. The Uruguayan was on hand to turn home from close range after a clever backheel from Vinicius.
Impressive youngster Gonzalo Garcia secured the victory for the LaLiga giants six minutes from time. He extended his side’s lead to three goals with his second goal of the tournament.
Three points mean that Xabi Alonso’s side finish two points clear at the top of their group ahead of Al-Hilal, whom they played out a 1-1 stalemate against in their opener last week.
This, of course, is without star striker Kylian Mbappe playing a single minute. Mbappe was admitted to hospital with gastroenteritis last Thursday and has been sidelined ever since.
Trent Alexander-Arnold: ‘All The Players are World Class’
Speaking to the media in the aftermath of Friday morning’s win, Trent Alexander-Arnold was full of praise for his teammates and thanked them for making him “feel at home” straight away.
“Every player is impressing me. From when I played against Real Madrid, [I knew] all the players are world-class,” the England international said.
“But just the way the lads are; when you come in, you expect it to be very intimidating, you don’t know what to expect.
“But it was very warm, very welcoming, they made me feel at home straight away, which was amazing. It allows me to play as well as I can and today, coming into the game, I was confident to go and perform.
“The settlement period now is done, and it’s about kicking on and being the best player that I can be and giving the best for the team and helping the team win as many games as possible, starting with this competition.”
Alexander-Arnold stunned fans by speaking in fluent Spanish at his Madrid unveiling, however he has admitted that he is still struggling with the communication aspect of his move.
“Of course, speaking and being a part of the conversation is harder. You work hard to try and understand what people are saying and be a part of it, but the manager speaks to me a lot individually to make sure I understand everything that gets said.
“The meetings are in Spanish, so he goes out of his way and the staff go out of their way to make sure I understand the game plan. So there are differences, but it’s just football.”
Alexander-Arnold: Salzburg Win ‘The Best Game I’ve Had’
Alonso opted to switch up his tactics for the final group game. He experimented with a 3-5-2 formation, which allowed Alexander-Arnold to play in a more advanced role.
Featuring at right wing-back, the former Liverpool defender was pleased with his side’s performance. Despite this, he admitted that there is still plenty of work to be done.
“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,” he said.
“It wasn’t a perfect game, but good signs. It was our best game so far as a team and it was the best game I’ve had – it seemed to click out there. We had a game plan.
“It was our aim to top the group. We are unbeaten and three goals and a clean sheet is a good confidence boost going into the round of 16.”
What Next For Real Madrid at the Club World Cup?
Los Blancos return to Club World Cup action on Tuesday evening for their last-16 clash against Serie A giants Juventus at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.
If victorious, they will face either Borussia Dortmund or Monterrey in the quarter-finals.
Their projected semi-final opponents are either Paris Saint-Germain or Bayern Munich, while they are unable to face tournament favourites Manchester City until the final.
The likes of Chelsea, Inter Milan and Botafogo are on the other side of the bracket, too.
