Title:Xabi Alonso: There’s no team better than Spain

He played in and won everything there was to win with some of Europe's biggest clubs and with the Spanish national team, where he was a prominent member of the golden generation that won the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ and UEFA EURO 2008 and 2012.

他参加了比赛，并和欧洲一些最大的俱乐部以及西班牙国家队赢得了的所有的胜利。他是赢得2010年国际足联南非世界杯以及2008年和2012年欧洲足联世界杯的黄金一代的杰出一员。

And in his first season since hanging up his boots, Xabi Alonso has been putting his time to good use, having just completed a coaching course. And like all good football fans, he is counting down the days to the start of Russia 2018.

阿隆索(Xabi Alonso)自挂靴以来的第一个赛季，一直在充分利用自己的时间，刚刚完成一个训练课程。像其他好的足球粉丝一样，他在为2018俄罗斯比赛做准备。

**FIFA.com** met up with him to talk about his new life, Julen Lopetegui's *Roja* team, and his expectations ahead of the big event.

** FIFA.com** 与他会面，讨论他的新生活，Julen Lopetegui的*Roja*团队以及他在大事件之前的期望。

Pretty well. The fact is my pace of life has really changed. It was a decision I gave a lot of thought to, so while I do miss it, I'm coping with it well.

好极了，事实是我生活的节奏真的改变了，这是我深思熟虑的一个决定，所以当我错过这个决定的时候，我会好好地对待它。

When you do a course like this you move away from the person you've always been and you get closer to the person you want to become. And that's good. I've always tried to understand the job and how complex it is to be a coach, which has nothing to do with being a footballer.

当你做这样的课程时，你就要离开你一直和你在一起的人，接近你想成为的人，那很好。我一直试着去理解这个工作，了解做教练有多么复杂，这与做足球运动员无关。

You realise all the things you have to prepare and that when the time comes to get it all across you have to summarise it and be as efficient as possible. That might be where part of the secret lies. And then there's team management, psychology, and personal relationships, which are almost more important in a way.

你意识到所有你必须准备的事情，并且当到达你面前时，你必须总结它，尽可能高效，这可能是秘密的一部分。然后有团队管理，心理学和个人关系，这在某种程度上都更为重要。

I think he's doing really, really well. He's got things very clear in his head. He's been able to tell his players very clearly what he wants, and that's essential. If you can't do that, then you're probably not going to achieve your objectives. The national team's got a lot going for it in that respect.

我认为他干得不错，他头脑很清楚，他能非常清楚地告诉他球员他想要什么，这是至关重要的，如果你不能做到这一点，那么你就不可能实现你的目标。国家队在这方面还有很多事情要做。

The idea of taking the game to the opposition is still there, of controlling the game, passing the ball around and not being so direct. Yes, I'd say it's still pretty much the same. Lopetegui's Spain has very close ties with the things that make Spanish football strong. It's based on intelligence, the ability to read matches, and technical quality. That's what sets us apart from other teams.

把游戏带给反对派的想法仍然存在，控制比赛，绕过球而不是那么直截了当。是的，我会说它仍然很相似。洛佩蒂的西班牙与使西班牙足球更加强大的东西有着非常密切的联系，其基础是智力、比赛的理解能力以及技术品质。这就是让我们与其他队伍不同的地方。

And then there are the tactical nuances and the flexibility you need for different games, because football's getting increasingly complex and you have to know how to adapt. You try to take the initiative but there are times in matches when you have to play a different way and not make all the running.

然后有战术上的细微差别，以及你对待不同的游戏所需要的灵活，因为足球越来越复杂，你必须知道如何适应。你试图采取主动，但比赛中的有些时候，你必须以不同的方式踢球时，而不是全力以赴。

Team spirit is vital, that sense of everyone fighting together to achieve a very important objective. You have to all get on. If you don't, then it can really wear you down. But it very much looks to me as if the current team has got that too. And then there's the blend of seasoned veterans who still have big contributions to make with players who've shown lots of enthusiasm and desire since coming in. That's a very positive thing too.

团队精神是至关重要的，那种每个人都在为了达成一个非常重要的目标而斗争的意识。你必须继续前进。如果你不这样，它就能真的会磨损你。接下来，那些老练的球员们仍然可以和那些展现出极大热情和渴望的球员们一同做出很大的贡献，这也是一个非常积极的事情。

There are players who are better at finding space between the lines, players who like to get round the outside or who can cause a lot of damage when given space to work in, like Diego Costa and Marco Asensio. I think this Spain side has more ways of playing than we did. In our case, if we weren't close to the opposition penalty box, then we found it harder to hurt them.

Looking ahead to the group phase, Spain will have to take the initiative, even with Portugal, who I think are going to sit back and wait. Sometimes you have to go and play a different way, though, and having players who have something else to offer is crucial.

展望小组阶段，西班牙将不得不采取主动，即使是与葡萄牙。我认为葡萄牙将会坐下来等待。但有时你必须去改变踢球方式。

I'm not just saying it, but I would put them among the favourites because I don't see any side that's better than Spain right now. I don't know what's going to happen in the games though. Germany are another of the big favourites. They're a very strong side and they're always there or thereabouts. The way they've been playing, it would be a massive surprise if they don't make the semis, because they're the champions and because of the new generation who've come into the team. Brazil are also right in there. I think those three are above the rest. Then there's Argentina, France and maybe a surprise or two. Why not?

我不只是这么说，但我会把它们放在最受欢迎的地方，因为我看不到比西班牙更好的一面，但是我不知道比赛会发生什么，德国是另一个很受欢迎的队伍。他们是一个很强大的一方，他们总是在那里或者周围。如果他们没有半决赛，那将会是一个巨大的惊喜，因为他们是冠军，也是因为他们新加入的那一代球员。巴西也在其中。我认为这三只球队的最好的。接下来是阿根廷，法国，也许还有一两个惊喜。不是吗？

I like to watch big games with the people I usually watch matches with. And I'll probably go to the Final. I've already got my ticket; all I need now is for Spain to get there ().

我喜欢和我通常一起观看比赛的人们一起观赛。我可能会去决赛。我已经拿到了票了，我现在需要的只是等着西班牙到达决赛。