Carvajal: “The fans drove us on to win the game"

Real Madrid secured another three points at the Santiago Bernabéu and Dani Carvajal was pleased with his side’s victory against Alavés: “The team needed to put on a good performance, get the win and regain confidence after the Champions League defeat. We played really well and deserved the three points. Now we have a week to prepare for the game against Rayo”.
 
“In the first 45 minutes, the opposition’s energy levels are always higher and we try to wear them down for as long as we can. That’s why the goals come towards the end of the games, because the opposition leaves more gaps and fatigue kicks in”.
 
The fans
“Expectations are high at this stadium. We are always expected to win no matter who we play and that’s normal. In the second half, the fans drove us on to win the game”.
 
On being in the starting line-up
“The team didn’t play well against PSG and my decisions in particular were not good, but the manager has given me another opportunity. I’m relaxed about it. You can have good days or bad days, but the important thing is that you’re here every day, you train and you know your worth. You can’t let your head drop. You have to get back on the pitch and let your football do the talking. That’s all that matters”.

“You experience a bit of everything at this club and fortunately, I've been able to win a lot. We take criticism in a positive and constructive way. We know just how demanding our fans are and use that to keep on improving. We now have the return leg coming up and will be looking to try and turn the tie around with the fans’ help”.
 
Valverde: “We found more spaces after the break”
“I'm pleased with the win. We struggled in the first half and the coach told us at half-time that we needed to work more on our build-up play and find spaces. In the second half, we found more spaces and were able to make the most of them because we've got some quick players. You could see that when we had greater control of the game and showed greater patience in the final third, we created more chances and got the goals. We worked hard and everything worked out well for us”.
 
Asensio
“He has immense quality and deserves it. He always works hard, is a good teammate and a good person. We know what he brings to Madrid and when the game is tight and you’ve got a player who’s capable of doing something like that, you've got to be thankful for it”.
 
Fans’ support
“I want to thank the fans for their support because we came into this one on the back of a defeat and needed their backing. The fans always spur you on and this win is for them because they always get right behind us”.