Xabi Alonso: “On Wednesday, we have a Champions League match to remove this bad taste from our mouths”
“Militão's injury hurt us and it took us a while to recover mentally,” added the Madrid coach.
Xabi Alonso spoke to the media in the Bernabéu press room and analysed the LaLiga matchday 15 game against Celta: “We're all angry, obviously. It wasn't the match or the result we wanted. From the start, Militão's injury hurt us. It took us a while to recover mentally. Then we made some adjustments, but it wasn't the match we wanted. We have to try to move on as quickly as possible. It's only three points, there's still a long way to go in the league. On Wednesday, we have a Champions League match against [Manchester] City to react and remove this bad taste from our mouths.”
“We'd planned the match after the Bilbao game to play at a good pace and put pressure on a good side. We were lacking in some areas, and the injury disrupted our plans. It's disappointing; we're suffering quite a bit with injuries. It's another very important one to add to the list. We struggled to react; almost the best reaction was when we were down to 10 men. The team pressed hard, we ran and we fought. We understand that people left angry. On Wednesday, we have to show another version of ourselves.”
Can the team move forward?
“Everyone is united, we know that this is football and that the situation can be turned around. There is still a long way to go in the season and a bad game at home can happen. It's not what we want, but we have to look ahead. We know what this is all about: self-criticism and high standards. We know that defeats hurt a lot.”
Champions League game
“We're playing for three points in the Champions League. We're in a good position in the competition and that's what's at stake. But we want to perform well, play well and show that we can play better than we did today. We're aware of that.”
What is happening in the dressing room?
“We were unsettled by the referee's decisions. The sending off of Álvaro (Carreras), then he slowed things down. He didn't stop Celta's rhythm or warn them about anything, he was very permissive. I didn't like his performance. The card for Carreras is very debatable, as if he was trying too hard. That's what threw us off a bit in those moments of the match. I didn't like the refereeing today.”
Can he understand the fans’ frustration?
“We're thinking about what's coming up next, and that's on Wednesday. After a defeat at home, it hurts, but we have to look ahead together. With pride and with enough determination to represent what we stand for. Wednesday is the closest goal we have.”
Lack of intensity
“We all take responsibility. We're all in this together, in the good times and the not-so-good times. We have to take it with the responsibility we have to assume. We can't look too far ahead. The situation is tough because of injuries, so we have to change things up every match. We'll see what happens for Wednesday.”
“This is everyone's responsibility, not just the players, coaching staff or club. We all have to take responsibility for wanting to do things right and approach every match as if it were the most important one there is. Today, we dropped three important points, but it's not decisive. There's still a long way to go. It's everyone's responsibility and everyone has to work together.”
Mastantuono and Ceballos
“Franco is getting back to fitness after his groin injury. He needs to work and train harder. He's getting closer to playing. He's being included in the squad, so he's available. Ceballos, with the substitution of Militão, we opted for more attacking players. Rodrygo and Gonzalo came on, and the latter had a good chance.”
Is the team struggling to create chances?
“We know that these are situations we'll face often. Sometimes we've attacked well, other times we've choked. When we were down to 10 men, we created more chances than in the first half. It's a matter of going out there and working for them.”
Game plan
“We're at a point where injuries are piling up. Today we had to change things in our game plan with Militão injured. We need to be able to maintain continuity, but the team wants to compete and build a foundation, regardless of whether things are going well or not so well. We're on the right track to achieving that.”
On the next match
“We're playing for three points in the next match. It's an important and exciting match. There's a lot of work going on every day at Valdebebas with the players, preparing for each match. That's what we have to focus on.”
Team’s situation
“For me, it's three points. It hurts, we're not happy. We're frustrated, and we share that feeling with the fans. We wanted to be a bit higher up than we are now, but there's still a long way to go. Now we have the next match. That's football, and that's how it always is.”