Real Madrid head into Wednesday’s Champions League showdown against Manchester City on the back of a shock weekend defeat and a mounting injury crisis, but coach Xabi Alonso insists the team must respond immediately.
Madrid’s perfect home record in LaLiga was shattered on Sunday as they fell 2–0 to Celta Vigo at the Santiago Bernabéu, a result that leaves them four points behind leaders Barcelona. With little time to dwell on the setback, Alonso urged his players to refocus.
“We need to turn the page as quickly as possible,” he said on Monday, as Spanish media speculated about tensions between the coach and his squad. “There’s a long way to go in La Liga. And we have the Champions League match against City to react and get rid of this bad taste in our mouths.”
Real have won only one of their last five league games, putting Alonso under scrutiny for his tactics, his relationship with players, and the team’s recent drop in intensity. Their problems were compounded on Sunday by two red cards and yet another wave of injuries.
“We’re struggling with injuries. It was hard for us to react,” Alonso said. “It hurts, we’re angry, and we understand why people are angry.”
Defender Éder Militão limped off in the first half and joins David Alaba, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Dani Carvajal, Dean Huijsen and Ferland Mendy on the growing injury list. Jude Bellingham suffered a cut above the eye but is expected to face Manchester City.
“The situation is tight due to injuries. We have to make adjustments for each match, and we’ll see how things go for Wednesday,” added Alonso, who succeeded Carlo Ancelotti at the start of the season.
Spanish outlets AS and Marca questioned the coach’s ability to motivate the squad, but Alonso dismissed the criticism.
“We’re all united and know that we can turn things around,” he said. “There’s still a long way to go, and you can have a bad game at home. We know what the demands are at this club. Defeats hurt a lot, but we have to look ahead.”
