Alonso sidesteps Yamal jibe as Clasico tension rises
Real Madrid head coach Xabi Alonso declined to comment after Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal suggested the capital club "cheat" and "complain" in a televised interview of his own as the tension rises ahead of the first Clasico of the season.
Alonso faced repeated questions from reporters regarding Yamal's remarks, made during an appearance on a Kings League programme alongside former Barcelona defender Gerard Pique.
The 18-year-old Barca forward compared Real to Porcinos, a Kings League team, stating: "Of course! Yes, they cheat, they complain."
The comments, which Pique supported, stirred debate in the build-up to one of football's most iconic fixtures.
When asked about Yamal’s statements, Alonso dismissed the topic. "It’s an important match ... important enough," he said.
"It has many ingredients for us to play well, for us to enjoy it. And that’s what excites us the most, the biggest incentive for tomorrow."
Pressed further, Alonso reiterated his stance.
"No, I’m not going to get into that. There have been a lot of statements from people in Barcelona and I can't comment on them all.
"For us, the important thing is the pitch, what happens on the pitch. Where we’ve come from and what lies ahead. That's what concerns me most and what we’ve been working on."
Visibly irritated when the question came up a third time, Alonso, who took over from Carlo Ancelotti at Madrid in June, added: "Are we going back to that? What I have in my head is that it's going to be an intense and competitive match.
"We have to be prepared because there will be moments for everything. The players have to have the necessary adrenaline. I’m not thinking about other consequences."
Alonso is determined to use the first Clasico of the season as a chance for Real Madrid to reassert its dominance in big matches, a quality that has been questioned after heavy defeats to Paris Saint-Germain in the FIFA Club World Cup semi-finals and Atletico Madrid in LaLiga earlier in the campaign.
Last season, Barcelona inflicted further damage Madrid, beating it four consecutive times across three competitions, including a 4-0 thrashing at the Bernabeu and a 5-2 victory in the Super Cup final.
"The match has a special flavour and is the most important one right now," Alonso said when asked about the pressure to perform. "There will be similar situations, but it is completely different [from last season]. We want to maximise our strengths.
"An El Clasico is special. The first one in this project. We need the stadium to have the energy of big matches, to push us forward. Looking ahead to tomorrow, we believe we are in good shape, both mentally and in terms of our football."
Madrid is top of the table ahead of the match with 24 points, two ahead of Barca, which will move from second into top spot should it claim a fifth straight win against Alonso's side on Monday (AEDT).
