Xabi Alonso talks Vinicius, Mbappe, Gonzalo Garcia and Spanish Super Cup after Real Madrid 5-1 Real Betis | OneFootball

Real Madrid were expected to struggle without Kylian Mbappe against Real Betis on Sunday evening, but they made easy work of Los Verdiblancos – much to the surprise of supporters across the globe.

The quality of the team was never really in question, but there was a sense of concern as to who would score the goals in Mbappe’s absence. Ironically, the men in white scored five goals on the night.  

A hat-trick for Gonzalo Garcia and goals for Raul Asencio and Fran Garcia wrapped up a special win for Real Madrid, helping them stay within touching distance of Barcelona and on a good run of momentum.

Alonso’s presser

Speaking to the media after the game, Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso opened up on how he was pleased with the win and what it meant for the team.

“I am happy with the comfortable victory, with Gonzalo’s hat-trick, and moreover with the great work of the team in addition to the goals.”

“We’re really excited about the Spanish Super Cup with its express format. First up against Atleti. Let’s see if we win and play in the final,” he added, looking forward to the next game.

Xabi Alonso was full of praise for Gonzalo Garcia. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images)

He then praised Gonzalo Garcia for scoring a hat-trick in a demanding situation, thereby filling in the shoes of Kylian Mbappe.

“This is a dream game for Gonzalo. He was so excited to play today, and then he played and scored a hat-trick.”

“I’m so happy for him. He’s an example all La Fabrica boys should follow,” he added.

Elaborating on what makes Gonzalo such a potent threat, he said,

“Gonzalo García has a high goal-scoring instinct, and he also contributes significantly to defensive balance.”

“When pressing high, coming close together, mid-blocks, and Gonzalo is really good at that, and he’s also really good at scoring goals, which is what strikers should do,” he added on the topic.

The manager was then asked about Vinicius Jr. and what he made of the player being whistled by fans for the second consecutive game.

“Vini was excellent today, he really was. He started very strong, created differences, he got the right-back booked and taken off, he created chances.”

“He is very important for us, and he’ll be very important in the next games,” he added.

The manager was then asked to give a message to the fans who were targeting the Brazilian winger, to which he calmly said,

“We’re all mature, Vini is mature, and what we want is to show our highest level.”

“He was, is, and will be very important for Real Madrid, and the fans will applaud him again, and give him ovations, I have no doubts,” he added.

Alonso then went on to praise his team for working as a unit with complete synchrony against Real Betis.

“Football today demands every team to work with 11 players without the ball.”

Alonso also took a moment to praise Eduardo Camavinga and backed the midfielder to become even more important for the team in the coming games.

“Camavinga is so important for us. Unfortunately, he couldn’t get a good run of games because he suffered from injuries.”

“Whenever he plays, his dynamism and energy and ball-carrying are always so useful to us,” he added.

The Real Madrid manager did not reveal any information on Kylian Mbappe’s injury. (Photo by Mateo Villalba Sanchez/Getty Images)

An elated Alonso was then asked about Kylian Mbappe’s situation and whether the player will make it back for the Spanish Super Cup, to which he said,

“We’ll see, it depends on how he feels.”

He then opened up the door to Mbappe, Vinicius, and Gonzalo all playing together in the games to come.

“Kylian Mbappé, Vinicius Junior, and Gonzalo Garcia can all play together, why not? There are a lot of games, and we can’t rule anything out. It’s my decision.”

Staying on the topic of injury updates, the manager then assured that Aurelien Tchouameni’s discomfort was minor.

“Tchouameni went down in pain? He is traveling to Saudi Arabia no matter what.”

Looking at the La Liga leaderboard and what the current matchday does to the standings, the manager said,

“Barcelona won yesterday, and we need to win many matches. We have 45 points and are aiming to reach 90.”

“Looking at the upcoming matches, the competition will be fierce. It starts soon with the Super Cup,” he added.

Source: Diario AS