Alonso talks Vinicius, Mbappe, Bellingham, Valverde after Real Madrid 3-1 Villarreal | OneFootball

Xabi Alonso’s Real Madrid were on point against one of La Liga’s most in-form teams in Villarreal last night and they put three goals past them to register an emphatic win.

The spotlight was on Los Blancos after their defeat to Atletico Madrid last weekend and they did not disappoint as they produced a reaction against a very formidable opposition.

Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr. had their names on the scoreboard for Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu and the result was only made sweeter by the fact that the team moved to provisional first place on the standings.

Alonso’s post-game thoughts

Speaking to the media after his team’s controversial win over Villarreal, Alonso opened up on several topics including his team’s response on the night and how they took all three points against a difficult opponent.

“We had to work hard for the win. In the first half, we lacked a bit of speed in our passing, but when we got into the positions, we created chances.

“It was a serious and important win for everyone. Now we move on.”

Elaborating on areas where Los Blancos can still improve, the manager said,

Alonso was happy with the win. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

“We weren’t fluid in the first half, but at half-time I told them that we were doing a lot of things well and that if we lost the ball they were prepared to counter-attack.”

“We lacked a bit of dynamism against a very well-organised team, as Marcelino’s side are, and that’s why they deserve to be where they are,” he added.

Alonso then heaped praise on Vinicius who scored a brace on the night, for his decisive performance that helped Real Madrid take a 2-0 lead on the night.

“He had a very good game and played a decisive role, not only because of the first goal but also because of the imbalance we were getting through him.”

“I like it when I see him smiling and enjoying himself. He came close to scoring a hat-trick and rounding off his game,” he added.

The manager also added how happy he was with the Brazilian’s progress in recent games, especially after his relatively slow start to the season.

“I’m happy for him and for the team because we need everyone and we wanted to end this cycle on a high with today’s victory. He also had a great game against Levante.”

“He’s a very important player for the team and the club because of his ability to create mismatches, what he generates and the difficulty he poses for the opposition,” he added.

On Bellingham and Mbappe

Jude Bellingham was once again benched on the night and came on past the hour mark, and the manager admitted that he would see more prominence after the break.

Bellingham came on as a substitute. (Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images)

“When he comes back, with two more weeks of training, he’ll be better every day and he’ll be important for the October phase.”

“We now have that time because we’ve lost a lot of the pre-season. We have a busy schedule ahead of us with Getafe, Juve, Barcelona,” he added.

Despite it being Mbappe who has been Real Madrid’s primary penalty-taker this season, Vinicius Jr stepped up and converted on the night and Alonso insisted it was purely a situational decision.

“They decided it, but Kylian is still the penalty taker. He’s got a good record.”

Mbappe and Franco Mastantuono both suffered injuries and were forced to leave the field on the night. When asked if the duo will continue to travel to their respective national teams, the manager said,

“We can’t say that they won’t go with the national teams. They’ll have to be assessed there and we hope it doesn’t get any worse. They have minor injuries and I can’t say any more than that.”

As expected by many before the game, Alonso opted to deploy Federico Valverde at right-back against Villarreal and the coach spoke on how the player did extremely well in the position.

“A very good match. He’s always willing to play wherever he’s needed and he had a great game defensively and offensively.

“A really good game and he helped the team a lot. We all saw how he played and he had a great game.”

“Due to our needs, he played there and he’s always very generous with the team. He has a great attitude and likes to feel useful. That’s what we need and he’s never complained about it,” he added.

Finally, Alonso was asked to speak about the refereeing on the night, to which he said that he would not comment either given that the Villarreal manager refused to comment.

“If Marcelino didn’t address it, then neither do we.”

Source: Real Madrid website