Soccer coach giving instructions in the foreground with two scenes of a soccer match in the background, where players are fighting for the ball and arguing with the referee.
Xabi Alonso responds to the refereeing controversy experienced at Estadio de Vallecas | Camara Real Madrid Confidencial
FIRST TEAM

Xabi Alonso doesn't hold back: he's asked about the penalty on Lamine and he responds with this

Real Madrid's coach responds upon his arrival at the Ciutat Esportiva

by

Enrique Sanz

Real Madrid's victory over Real Mallorca at Santiago Bernabéu last Saturday led the coaching staff led by Xabi Alonso to give its footballers a break. Sunday was a day of complete rest, a day that all Madrid players took advantage of before returning to their usual routine.

Although almost all the international players drafted are leaving with their national teams, work at the Valdebebas Sports City doesn't stop. Xabi Alonso has shown this by arriving this very morning at the facilities located north of Madrid. As he passed through the entrance roundabout, several media outlets took the opportunity to ask some quick questions.

Two players in white uniforms and one in a blue uniform fight for the ball as the player in blue falls to the ground with a look of pain during a match.
Lamine Yamal falls to the ground in Rayo Vallecano's penalty area | Real Madrid Confidencial

While the Tolosa coach was signing some autographs and taking impromptu photos with several Madridist fans, a journalist took the opportunity to ask about what happened at Estadio de Vallecas. The reporter from "El Chiringuito de Jugones" prompted a smile and a very forceful response from the Basque coach.

"I knew you were going to ask me that", said the Real Madrid coach after receiving that question about the refereeing controversy that occurred in the Rayo Vallecano-FC Barcelona match. The VAR outage for twelve minutes (12 min) in the first half, as well as the penalty on Lamine Yamal that wasn't reviewed due to that connection failure, have no direct answer.

Does not want to know anything

Xabi Alonso doesn't hide that his role is not to give his opinion about what happens in other matches. Especially if it is about such sensitive controversies as the one experienced at Estadio de Vallecas, moments in which the penalty on Lamine Yamal couldn't be reviewed... as did happen with the three goals disallowed for the white club at Santiago Bernabéu against Real Mallorca.

Once again, the Tolosa coach shows that he is not a big fan of controversies. He only speaks out with elegance and caution when Real Madrid, the team he currently coaches, is involved in them. Meanwhile, he makes it clear with his comments that he is not interested in delving into matters unrelated to his work as a coach.

A soccer referee talks with two people on the field during a match.
Mateo Busquets Ferrer speaks with Íñigo Pérez and Hansi Flick during the Rayo Vallecano-Barcelona match | Real Madrid Confidencial

After all, there is still much to do according to the head of the coaching staff. Despite Real Madrid's effectiveness on matchday 3, Xabi Alonso made it clear in the press conference after the Real Mallorca match that "quite a few things need to be corrected". Part of that work is done, even during the September international break, at Valdebebas Sports City.

To solve all the problems that the first team would present, those weak points that need work, maximum concentration is necessary. That's why the head of the coaching staff keeps himself away from any controversy not related to Real Madrid, as he showed when speaking about what happened at Estadio de Vallecas.

➡️ First Team

More posts: