Xabi Alonso: “We had three or four fairly clear chances to win”
“I was told that it was a play that could be reviewed by VAR because of the contact. These are decisive plays that can change the course of the match,” he said about the penalty that was not awarded to Rodrygo.
Xabi Alonso appeared in the press room at Montilivi and analysed the match against Girona on matchday 14 of LaLiga: "I think there was an improvement, especially in the second half. We pushed harder and created more chances. We lacked a bit of accuracy with the chances we had to take all three points. But we're still in it, it's all very close. It's a long season and we have to keep going.”
Penalty on Rodrygo
“I didn't see it, but I've been told that it was a play that could have been reviewed by VAR because of the contact. It's surprising, we'll have to see it. These are decisive plays that can change the game."
What the team is lacking
"There are different phases in a season. There were phases, especially at the beginning, when we were consistently away from home. In these last few games, there have been phases where the second half was much better than the first, and we were able to come back. The team had the desire to turn the 1-0 deficit around. We had three or four clear chances inside the area to score the second goal and win. We have to continue with the high standards required to play for Real Madrid. It's a long season."
Three consecutive draws in LaLiga
"No complaints because I liked the reaction. It wasn't enough to turn it around, but we were close. We have to continue with the unity we have, with the necessary self-criticism and with the desire to win away from home. We have the opportunity on Wednesday in Bilbao and we'll see”.
Is there a need to play more football?
“We needed to play more minutes of good football: attacking football and being dominant. We did that much more in the second half and that's what we want. Why we didn't do it is something we need to analyse so that we can try to do it from the start. Or even if we do it in the first half, we need to keep it up in the second”.
Match in Bilbao
“It's an opportunity to win away from home again. The points are what they are, we're still there. This is going to be a long season and the table is going to be very tight. There will still be a lot of ups and downs. We're playing for three points, but it is a good time to win in Bilbao. We need it and we want it. After today, we'll look at how we can do better”.