Real Madrid go into Wednesday’s Champions League clash against Manchester City reeling from a surprise home setback at the weekend and a lengthy injury list, but coach Xabi Alonso says they need to bounce back quickly.
Real lost their 100 per cent home record in the Spanish league on Sunday in a shock 2-0 defeat to Celta Vigo, and fell four points behind leaders Barcelona, but have little time to reflect on the setback before their Champions League assignment.
“We need to turn the page as quickly as possible,” Alonso said as Monday’s Spanish sports press speculated on the state of his relationship with his players.
“There's a long way to go in LaLiga. And we have the Champions League match against City to react and get rid of this bad taste in our mouths."
With Real winning only one of their last five LaLiga fixtures, Alonso has come under scrutiny for his relationship with players, system of playing and tactical decisions, while injuries have suddenly piled up again.
“We're struggling with injuries. It was hard for us to react,” added Alonso, whose side finished Sunday’s game with two red cards.
“It hurts, we're angry, and we understand why people are angry."
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Defender Eder Militao hobbled off the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu pitch in the first half on Sunday and joins David Alaba, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Dani Carvajal, Dean Huijsen and Ferland Mendy on the injury list. Jude Bellingham also suffered a cut above the eye but is expected to feature against 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 the coach, who took over from Carlo Ancelotti at the start of the season.
Sports newspaper AS said Alonso was unable to motivate his team while Marca claimed he would not be able to fix things.
But the coach offered a different outlook, "We're all united and know that we can turn things around. 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.