HozzászólásSzerző: Pad'em » 2025. május 29., csütörtök 20:51
Jonathan Tah: “There was a drill where we had to play long balls behind the defence to our wingbacks, and all of a sudden Xabi stopped me: ‘No Jona, not like that.’
I honestly thought that I’d just played a pretty good pass, but he was like: ‘The ball has to be... sharper’.
I was like, ‘What do you mean?’
He tried to explain, but then he said: ‘Here, give me the ball’.
He took a touch, turned and struck a diagonal cross that floated across to the other side, straight as an arrow.
The ball landed on the shoe of one of our wingbacks, who didn’t even have to slow down to control it. Any amateur could have brought it down.
Xabi turned to us: “… that’s what I mean by sharper’.
I was like, ‘You have to be joking…’
Even the sound the ball makes when he strikes it is different. Ping. You could turn away, listen to the ball and know it’s Xabi.
I turned to my teammates and went: ‘How am I going to do that?’
And everyone just started laughing. None of us could do what Xabi did.
***
Jonathan Tah: “I owe Xabi Alonso a lot, because he made me feel really important.
I remember one of the first sessions we had with him, we were warming up, and he called me over, and you never know what a new coach will think about you. Maybe he’ll bench you, or even sell you. Maybe you’re not his kind of player.
But he said, ‘I’m new here, and as a leader in the dressing room, I need you. I need you to push the guys, to transmit what I want from the team’.
I saw one video from Real Madrid where Carlo Ancelotti was doing exactly the same with another player, and I knew that Xabi had played at Madrid. It really made me feel special.”
***
Jonathan Tah: “Xabi Alonso helped me so much with the small details, stuff that you’d think is nothing special, but that when you add it all up, it changes a lot. I loved that about him.”
Bayern elvitte btw.
"Down for Rodrygo... Éder Militao. Carvajal. It's Carvajal's cross... RODRYGOOO, oooh it's extraordinary!!! They prayed for miracles and miracles arrived! REAL MADRID, THE TEAM OF DREAMS. Where has that come from? How did that happen?!"