Quotes from Xabi Alonso

Matches in England are special.

I stay in contact with friends I have in Liverpool. It's not a normal club; it's so special and very important to me.

I have improved with time by playing for elite teams in elite leagues and the Champions League and with the Spanish national team in World Cups and European Championships.

Everything can change in the Champions League.

Kroos is an excellent player.

Sometimes that kind of last-ditch tackle can get the crowd excited, and you get a push from that. It's important to play with that psychological side of the game, but it depends on the quality of the player.

At Liverpool, I used to read the match day programme, and you'd read an interview with a lad from the youth team. They'd ask age, heroes, strong points, etc. He'd reply, 'Shooting and tackling.' I can't get into my head that football development would educate tackling as a quality, something to learn, to teach, a characteristic of your play.

I will always be grateful to Liverpool. It is a very special club.

So many times, football is really unfair.

With Senna, I am not incompatible; I am not incompatible with anyone.

The midfielders are important: they have to offer themselves to receive the ball and make good use of it, take choices, try not to lose the ball and defend. But I don't feel like a leader at all.

Passion? Of course it's necessary, but it's more important to have footballing foundations, certainly, when developing players.