Negredo: Overall, Real Madrid had a great start. I knew before that Alonso would be a good coach.

In an exclusive interview, former Real Madrid and Manchester City forward Negredo talked about Xavi Alonso's performance as a coach, Real Madrid's striker selection and how players deal with substitutes.

Have you ever thought that Xabi Alonso would become a top coach?

Xabi Alonso is a very young coach, full of enthusiasm and motivation. He was just starting his coaching career, but I was lucky enough to share a dressing room with him and you could already tell he was going to be a good coach.

Playing for Real Madrid comes with a lot of pressure, and as a player who has played for a big club, I think he knows how to handle this situation. Given the squad Real Madrid have, it's important to start the season well, as there will always be a dip in form at some stage in the league. They suffered a setback against Atletico Madrid, but overall I think Xabi Alonso has had a great start to the season.

Real Madrid has Mbappe, Rodrygo and Vinicius on the front line. Do you think they can find a tactical balance? Or is this more of a mentality issue?

It is true that some players can bring you a lot on the offensive end, even if they do not contribute much on the defensive end. This is why rotating players and adding more men in the midfield can help defensively, because the team is now very physically prepared and Real Madrid knows this.

So I think Xabi Alonso didn't take unnecessary risks by playing three forwards. Instead, he used a 4-4-2 system, which worked very well for Real Madrid considering all their attacking potential.

What goes through a player's mind when he doesn't get the playing time he thinks he deserves? We've seen Vinicius sit on the bench more than once this season...

Every player wants to play. It's important to know how to manage that, support the player when he's not playing, but also show the coach that you're ready when the opportunity comes. You can't be angry or frustrated because every player, especially at Real Madrid, wants to play. You have to be patient, know your playing time is going to come, and then make the most of it. I imagine Alonso handles this well and rotates players so that no one gets frustrated and everyone has a chance to contribute, thus keeping competition strong within the team.

Manchester City has had a mixed start to the season. Do you think this is a reflection of the natural end of the coaching cycle, or is it a problem of the team's confidence?

It's hard to say now. I think Guardiola has proven that he can handle any situation. In this case, Manchester City did not have a good start to the season, but I think there is still time to improve and get back to those top positions that can qualify for the Champions League. If there is one coach who can handle this challenge, I think it is Guardiola.

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