Xabi Alonso: My time as a player has come to an end, I'm already thinking like a coach LaLiga Will coach first game on Saturday

Xabi Alonso was appointed as Real Sociedad's B team head coach earlier this summer, having done a stellar job with Real Madrid's Infantil A side, and the 37-year-old is determined to carry that success over into La Real's Segunda Division B campaign this season, starting with their league opener against Burgos on Saturday.

The former midfielder only retired in the summer of 2017, but he is adamant that he is now thinking solely as a coach, rather than a player.

"My time as a player has come to an end," Alonso said.

"I'm already thinking like a coach and your focus changes completely."

The focus of La Real's B team will be to produce players that are capable of playing for the first team, but Alonso is keen to emphasise the competitive nature of playing in a division such as the Segunda B.

"We want to have a good season," he added.

"We are not going to settle for just playing well, we want to be as high [in the table] as possible because that goes into aiding the players' development."

When asked if there are any players in particular that could be on the fast track to the first team, Alonso opted to discuss the journey the players will go on.

"I hope that they can all make the leap [to the first team], but it's complicated," Alonso stated.

"What we want is them to improve, for each one to compete and to see personal growth, so that they are ready if the day comes for them to go up to the first team.

"La Real is special because it feeds its players [up] to the first team and we're in that last step [before they make the jump]."