Guardiola's opinion on Xabi Alonso becoming Real Madrid's new manager: "He'll know which wars to fight."

Xabi Alonso is the new Real Madrid manager . He recently retired from football, back in 2017 , and that's why he still runs into some of his former teammates at matches, even though he's the manager. It's also true that some of his technical rivals played against him or even coached him.

Some of these situations could happen at the Club World Cup . For example, if they play against Manchester City , they'd face Pep Guardiola. The Catalan coach managed the Toulouse native at Bayern Munich for two seasons.

Almost a decade has passed since then, but both still have fond memories of that time. Guardiola was asked about Xabi Alonso and his new role as Real Madrid manager: " He's shown he's a great coach . He's been in Madrid , and that's a point in his favor. He knows what wars to fight and those that aren't necessary," the Manchester City manager said.

The Catalan hopes he'll do brilliantly at the helm of the Whites: "I wish him the best and hope he does well. I have a good friendship and fond memories with him."

Changing the subject, Pep spoke about the Club World Cup and Manchester City's hopes of competing: "It's almost like a title, for the club's sustainability. In England, this year, seven teams have fought to get into this competition , and Tottenham and United, who should have, haven't."

Finally, he commented that they want to have a great tournament: "We'll have little time off, but it's an honor to go to the Club World Cup . Let's see how we do, eager to have a good tournament. We're focused on the new season. It's great to be able to go," the Catalan coach concluded.