Xabi Alonso He arrived in Arabia very questioned, or at least, questioned. The Super Cupin which a double confrontation against Atlético and Barcelona was imagined, had become a decisive test for the Tolosarra project, which changed the script to face Simeone’s team and also in the fight for the title against the Blaugrana. He moved pieces to resist at first and it worked until a loss of Rodrygo gave wings to Raphinha. «The team has had a great attitude, a lot of commitment, we knew that there would be moments of having to endure without the ball, without losing the conviction of what we were doing. There were four or five defenders, depending on the moment, and we have controlled well until that loss in which we have conceded,” he explained about the scheme he put on the pitch and regarding the response of his players, who applied themselves to do what their coach had drawn on the board.
Mix of emotions
Along with Vinicius’s great game, it may be the best news for the coach, that his stage may have a long way to go. «There is a mix of emotions, on the one hand the disappointment of not having been able to win the title, but there is also pride because the team has shown its facewith circumstances that are not desired. There have been moments for everything and until the end the team has tried and we have been close to being able to tie and reach penalties. “We lacked success in the last plays,” He lamented the shots by Carreras and Asencio that came into the hands of Joan García.
Stay with the positive
«We can get positive things. We have to think about the competitions we have. This is the least important of those that were ahead. Recovering people is what we need most right now,” he added, putting the issue of injuries on the table. Rüdiger couldn’t reach the final, Huijsen forced to help, Mbappé I didn’t have the physique to be a starter and Rodrygo He played with his hamstrings to the limit. The best example of Real Madrid’s problems in this regard is that Xabi had to pull Alaba, who had not played since October 19 and had only been able to accumulate 146 minutes so far. «Injuries condition you. The change of Fede (Valverde) due to the injury, the effort of Huijsen, who has reached where he has reached,” the Basque coach listed. «Injuries are penalizing us to have stability and be able to distribute minutes. “Some players are making a great effort,” he insisted. Carvajal was chosen to speak at the previous official press conference, but it was difficult for him to be a starter after his knee operation. A key player who has not been able to participate since the last Clásico, the League, and who joins another vital loss at the back, that of Militao, who is the best center back in the squad and will be out for four months.
Xabi was optimistic despite the defeat and admitted that I had not been able to speak anything with Florentino Pérez in the hug they gave each other at the medal ceremony: “It was very fast.”
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