Manager calls on players to keep “fighting together” in good and bad moments
Real Madrid head coach Xabi Alonso praised the unity and resilience of his squad after a 2-1 victory at Alaves on Sunday eased some of the pressure on the under-fire coach.
Kylian Mbappe opened the scoring for Madrid in the first half at Mendizorroza, only for Carlos Vicente to equalise after the break. Rodrygo then ended his long-running drought with a late winner, finishing from a low cross by Vinicius Junior to secure all three points. The win ensures that Madrid remain four points behind Barcelona at the top of La Liga.
Alonso’s job has come under scrutiny following recent poor performances but the players have insisted they are solidly behind their manager. Alonso emphasised the importance of staying united.
“We’re all together, we’re fighting together in the good moments and not so good moments,” said Madrid’s head coach. “The team fought well. The start was very good, and we were able to go ahead again at the end. Unity is fundamental.”
Alonso has dealt with a lot of injury problems this season. Against Alaves, Mbappe returned after missing a game, but Dean Huijsen, Eder Militao, Dani Carvajal, Trent Alexander-Arnold, and Eduardo Camavinga were all absent. Left-back Alvaro Carreras was also unavailable after getting sent off last time out against Celta Vigo.
“The lads deserve a lot of credit for the win,” said Alonso. “We had a lot of absentees. [Defender Victor] Valdepenas had his debut. There’s a long way to go, but we have to be consistent in the good things we did today.
“The game against Celta wasn’t a good game, we lacked a lot of things. [Against Alaves] there were a lot of positives and some things to improve. To keep winning games, we need to be consistent.”
