Real Madrid Will Bounce Back Against Man City – Alonso

Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso has backed the team to bounce back from the disappointing 2-0 defeat to Celta Vigo at the Santiago Bernabeu.

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.

Alonso has come under scrutiny for his relationship with players, system of playing and tactical decisions, while injuries have suddenly piled up again.

The Spanish manager told reporters on Monday that the attention has now shifted to the Champions League clash on Wednesday.

He said, “We need to turn the page as quickly as possible.

“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.

“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.”

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.

“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.”

The former Bayer Leverkusen coach blamed the officiating for the defeat against Celta Vigo.

Alonso concluded: “I did not like the referee’s decisions at all. It was poor. The decisions drove us crazy.

‘’The red card to Carreras was something he was clearly looking for. The referee let Celta waste time, never even warned them about it, and kept stopping play every time.”

In the Champions League, Real Madrid have won four games out of five to sit fifth on the log.

Real Madrid have won just one of their last five league games.