Under fire Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso has insisted that he has the support of his players ahead of the Champions League clash against Manchester City on Wednesday.
Real Madrid go into the City game having won just one of their last five matches in LaLiga, including Sunday’s 2-0 home defeat to Celta Vigo at the Bernabéu.
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President Florentino Pérez met with the Madrid board after the Celta Vigo defeat to discuss Alonso’s future, with concerns over his management and the performances of key players.
The former Bayer Leverkusen manager said he is confident of the support of his players ahead of the make or mar clash against Manchester City at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Alonso said: “Yes, I have the support of the players. The team is united, the team is convinced. Everyone is convinced we can win tomorrow. Nobody has doubts. But for that, we have to play with a good rhythm, intensity, and compete.
“As a Real Madrid coach you have to be ready to deal with these situations with calmness. That’s how I feel. I’m excited about what’s next, starting tomorrow, after the anger there was [after Celta], which is normal. Now we’re thinking about City, the Champions League. Things can change quickly in football.”
Real Madrid midfielder, Aurélien Tchouaméni, also backed Alonso ahead of the Champions League clash.
He said: “In the Vigo game, for sure the coach had a good game plan. But in the end, we the players are on the field. If we’re at our level, we have more chance to win these games. If we lost 2-0, there’s a problem for us on the pitch, with the intensity. It isn’t the fault of the coach.”
The Spanish manager is confident that Real Madrid will emerge victorious on Wednesday.
Alonso concluded: “We are mentally ready for what is coming, the team is united, we are all convinced we can win tomorrow.
“We have to play at a good speed and intensity, we have to compete, of that there is no doubt.”
According to reports, Zinedine Zidane and reserve-team coach Álvaro Arbeloa are the two names being considered to replace Alonso.
Real Madrid are now four points behind Barcelona at the top of LaLiga, despite having defeated their rivals in October’s Clásico.