Xabi Alonso talks Vinicius, Mbappe, Bellingham, Valverde, Rudiger after Real Madrid 4-0 Valencia | OneFootball

Real Madrid extended their lead at the top of the table to seven points on Saturday after a comprehensive win over Valencia at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Los Blancos were clinical and dominant against Los Che and did not break a sweat in breaking open the visitors’ defence.

Kylian Mbappe was once again on song, scoring a brace and leading from the front while Jude Bellingham and Alvaro Carreras put the icing on the cake with two vital goals.

Alonso’s press conference

Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso faced the press after his team’s 4-0 win on the night and gave his honest opinion on the team’s performance. 

He began by praising Kylian Mbappe for his brace and the team for the overall rhythm shown on the field.

“Mbappe scored two goals, which is a good way of making sure you are in the hunt at the end of the season, and another three points, which is a good way of making sure you can compete for titles.”

“The team’s rhythm is good. We didn’t concede a goal, another clean sheet. It was a well-rounded, serious match with excellent energy,” he added.

Elaborating on his big takeaways from the win over Valencia, the manager said,

“We started very energetically, with a lot of movement, and moved the ball well. We won the ball back quickly and took the lead.”

“Then we managed everything well and, overall, it was a complete performance,” he added.

The manager made some big changes at half-time given that the result was all but sealed, and the team did well to continue dominating and even score a fourth goal.

On the second half, Alonso said,

“Things turned out well. In the second half, we were able to manage the game well because we knew we had a match on Tuesday.

“We had to be smart because some players had played a lot of minutes, and a lot of things went well.”

“We don’t want to relax, and we want to approach every game with the necessary mental preparation. Today we did that,” he added.

Looking ahead

Real Madrid were brilliant against Valencia. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

Alonso also relayed that the team were already preparing for the game against Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League midweek.

“Now it’s time for Tuesday in the Champions League and Sunday in Vallecas. Starting tomorrow, it’s Liverpool and Liverpool.”

Taking special mention of Mbappe’s continued form in front of goal, the manager admitted that the player could go on to set a special record this season.

“Time will tell how many goals he scores. He has that knack for finding the goal and being in the right place at the right time. He’s going to score a lot of goals.”

“I don’t know how many, but I have a feeling he’s going to score a lot of goals this season,” he added.

Federico Valverde again featured at right-back for Real Madrid and delivered a stunning performance that included an assist, and the manager could not help but praise his versatility.

“We can all see how well-rounded he is and the level at which he’s playing. With the ball, he has the soul of a midfielder and is very powerful offensively.”

“Since he started playing, his level has been increasing and we know that he is a complete player.

“Due to the needs of the team, he has played as a full-back and is still playing really well,” he added.

Thoughts in Vinicius and Bellingham

Vinicius Jr. missed a penalty against Valencia. (Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images)

Alonso was then asked to explain his reaction to the moment when Vinicius Jr. missed his penalty just before half-time, to which he said,

“It was because he missed the penalty, because it could have been 3-0 before half-time, but then Jude scored. It was the frustration of being able to go 3-0 up and that’s it.”

“We assign the penalty takers and Kylian is the first taker. Then they make decisions. I like them to take penalties because it’s a good opportunity,” he added on the penalty hierarchy.

“Kylian scored the first one and I would have liked him to score the second one too. It’s no big deal. Kylian is still the first taker,” he concluded.

Concurrently, however, the manager ensured to encourage Vinicius, saying,

“He had a very good game.”

Moving on to Jude Bellingham who also got on the scoresheet on the night, the manager explained what makes the player special and how he is so decisive under pressure.

“Jude’s position is one thing, and what happens before he gets there is another. When he scored his goal, he was in a very good position.

We work on getting the ball to him there, and that’s when he’s most decisive.”

“When we need him in that link-up play, that’s when he’s most decisive for me. He has the qualities to drop back and one day he’ll play there. Today, we found him in a good position,” he added.

Injury updates

Alonso provided update on injured players. (Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images)

Alonso then provided an update on the defence, the situation of injured players, and the need for rotation given the schedule.

“In a season, it’s impossible for the same players to always play. We have flexible defenders and we’ll soon have Alaba back. 

“Rudiger is still a little way off, but he’ll be fine for the next block.”

“That gives us competitive and tactical quality to be able to choose what we want, clear concepts, concentration, and mental preparation to face any match,” he added.

Finally, the coach was asked why his side would not train at Anfield before the game against Liverpool to which he bluntly said,

“It’s my decision because we have to prepare for the match and we prefer to do it at our training ground, in our own space, so that we are not surrounded by 200 cameras.”

Source: Real Madrid website