"Madrid began the season well, winning 11 of their first 12 LaLiga games, before a Champions League loss at Liverpool last month sparked a slump which has seen the team draw with Rayo Vallecano, Elche and Girona before being beaten by Celta. Alonso's management style and the performances he has secured from key players have been scrutinised, while Madrid have also faced an injury crisis which saw eight first-team players including Mbappé miss the City game."
""When you don't win at home [whistles] can happen," Alonso said in his postmatch news conference. "We felt the energy from the crowd, when the team needed it, pushing them on. At the end of the game, if there were whistles we can understand it and accept it. The demands are so high.""
""The team kept going, we tried until the end, and with all the difficulties we have with injuries, the players gave everything," Alonso said on Wednesday. "Today I have nothing to criticise. The results in November and December haven't been good, or what we wanted. We're self-critical, but we have to keep working and believing it will pass.""
Xabi Alonso accepted whistles from the Bernabéu after Real Madrid’s 2-1 Champions League defeat to Manchester City and defended the team’s performance despite the loss. Rodrygo opened the scoring, ending a 32-game goal drought, before Nico O’Reilly levelled and Erling Haaland converted a penalty to win the match for City. Madrid entered the game under pressure following a home defeat to Celta and a slump in form. An injury crisis sidelined eight first-team players, including Kylian Mbappé. Players continued to give maximum effort and Jude Bellingham affirmed full backing for the coach.
Read at ESPN.com
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