Xabi Alonso not losing hope after Girona 1-1 Real Madrid: ‘It’s a long season’

Only a Kylian Mbappe penalty saved part of Real Madrid’s blushes at Estadi Montilivi last night as Los Blancos could only manage a tame 1-1 draw against relegation-threatened Girona.

The result marked their third straight draw in the league, and continued their torrid spell away from home which has been anything but memorable so far.

With the draw, Real Madrid forfeit the lead in La Liga to Barcelona who are now one point clear of them having won their game against Deportivo Alaves.

Alonso’s press conference

Shortly after the game, Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso appeared in front of the press to take questions and opened by explaining how the game progressed from his perspective.

“I think there was an improvement, especially in the second half. We pushed harder and created more chances. We lacked a bit of accuracy with the chances we had to take all three points.”

“But we’re still in it, it’s all very close. It’s a long season and we have to keep going,” he added.

Alonso was then asked if the foul on Rodrygo late in the game should have been given as a penalty, to which he said,

“I didn’t see it, but I’ve been told that it was a play that could have been reviewed by VAR because of the contact.”

“It’s surprising, we’ll have to see it. These are decisive plays that can change the game,” he added.

With three consecutive draws in La Liga now, Real Madrid’s form in the league is getting seriously worrying and Alonso was asked what scope he saw for improvement.

“There are different phases in a season. There were phases, especially at the beginning, when we were consistently away from home,” he began.

“In these last few games, there have been phases where the second half was much better than the first, and we were able to come back,” he added.

On what went wrong last night, he elaborated saying,

“The team had the desire to turn the 1-0 deficit around. We had three or four clear chances inside the area to score the second goal and win.”

Mbappe scored, but it was not enough. (Photo by Judit Cartiel/Getty Images)

“We have to continue with the high standards required to play for Real Madrid. It’s a long season,” he concluded on the topic.

When specifically quizzed on the rut the team is going through having dropped six of their last nine points, he said he did not have too much to complain about.

“No complaints because I liked the reaction. It wasn’t enough to turn it around, but we were close.”

“We have to continue with the unity we have, with the necessary self-criticism and with the desire to win away from home. We have the opportunity on Wednesday in Bilbao and we’ll see,” he added.

Real Madrid’s game last night once again saw them look dull and uninspired compared to the beginning of the season, and the manager was asked if there was a conscious need to play better football.

“We needed to play more minutes of good football: attacking football and being dominant. We did that much more in the second half and that’s what we want.”

“Why we didn’t do it is something we need to analyse so that we can try to do it from the start. Or even if we do it in the first half, we need to keep it up in the second,” he added.

Finally, Alonso opened up on his thoughts ahead of Real Madrid’s game against Athletic Club midweek, which also happens to be away from home.

“It’s an opportunity to win away from home again. The points are what they are, we’re still there. This is going to be a long season and the table is going to be very tight.”

“There will still be a lot of ups and downs. We’re playing for three points, but it is a good time to win in Bilbao. We need it and we want it. After today, we’ll look at how we can do better,” he concluded.

Source: Real Madrid website