Xabi Alonso on Vinicius Junior outburst – ‘We don’t want it to happen again’ | OneFootball

Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso has warned star forward Vinicius Junior again about his outburst during El Clasico. The Brazilian reacted angrily to being brought off by Alonso against Barcelona, claiming that he would be leaving the club.

Ahead of their 4-0 win over Valencia on Saturday night, Alonso told the press on Friday before their training session. He confirmed that Vinicius had apologised to the staff and his teammates, but would not say that Vinicius had apologised to himself personally. Alonso was asked about the incident ahead of Real Madrid’s Champions League clash at Anfield with Liverpool.

“It was important for me that we talked about it on Wednesday, and it was settled. These things can happen, but we don’t want them to happen again. It’s settled now.”

Xabi Alonso changes Real Madrid routine ahead of Liverpool

One of the more notable changes that Alonso has made ahead of the headline clash is that Los Blancos trained in Madrid ahead of the game, rather than at Anfield. Reports in the Spanish capital have wondered whether it was to avoid leaks about their tactics.

“It’s not because of any suspicion or conspiracy. It’s just that we all have more control at Valdebebas. Here we give clues to the opponent, and I don’t think that’s the best thing,” Alonso confirmed as much.

Image via Diario AS / Javier Gandul

Do Real Madrid lack killer instinct?

Real Madrid have so far recorded three victories from their three clashes in the Champions League, albeit narrow ones over Olympique Marseille and Juventus. Against Barcelona, Los Blancos were firmly in control, but were forced to defend a one-goal lead. Alonso was asked whether his side could be pressing home their advantage more.

“It’s something we have to keep in mind. Against Juve, the game was tight. When you have the opportunity and you see weakness, you can score goals. Even more so with this format. The stronger teams are scoring more in the early rounds, they’ll climb higher in the standings.”

“We’re learning. If we have the chance to score goals, we have to take it. Then the knockout stage is the knockout stage. If you finish ninth, things change.”