Raul Asencio insisted on Wednesday that the squad stands '100% behind Xabi Alonso', following Real Madrid's second consecutive defeat, which came against Manchester City at the Bernabeu in the Champions League.

"Every match brings scrutiny, as it always does at Real Madrid. We understand the pressure we face. The dressing room fully grasps Xabi Alonso’s message and stands 100% with him. Our daily work at Valdebebas is excellent. While we are experiencing an unusual situation, the only thing we can do is change our attitude. That is paramount, and we showed a noticeable shift," he told ‘Movistar Liga de Campeones’.

In his assessment of the match, Asencio highlighted the team’s improvement and claimed City received an excessive reward for their victory.

"Ultimately, we are left with a bittersweet feeling. We did many things well, and the team showed a different side compared to our last game, which was crucial at home in front of our fans. City are a great opponent, but they didn’t do enough to win the match. We deserved more, but that’s football: the team that scores more goals wins. We need to improve," the defender stated.

Asencio Real Madrid

‘We are with our coach’

Brazilian forward Rodrygo revealed his goal dedication to Xabi Alonso, which ended a poor run of 32 games without a goal, was to show the team stands "with the coach" and that unity is needed to achieve their seasonal objectives.

"It’s a difficult moment for us and for Xabi too; things aren’t going our way, and I wanted to show that we are together and with our coach. Many things are being said, attempts are made to create divisions, but we are united, and we need this unity to move forward and achieve our goals," he told ‘Movistar Liga de Campeones’.

Rodrygo admitted the 1-2 result against City frustrated the Real Madrid players because they "train hard but it doesn’t show in matches". Personally, he was pleased with his own performance.

"I really needed that. I always try to score and help, I wasn’t at my best, but these things happen in football. I have to stay focused on training; that’s what I did all this time when things weren’t going my way. I hope that today, with this goal and performance, despite being sad about the defeat, I can return to my best level," he said.

The Brazilian forward showed understanding for the Real Madrid supporters who booed their players at various points during the match.

"I understand the boos, it’s normal; Real Madrid is a very demanding club, and their fans are too. I’ve been here for many years and we know that happens if we aren’t performing well. We have to improve to get out of this situation," he concluded.

Rodrygo Real Madrid

‘We showed we’re with the manager’

Thibaut Courtois stressed that despite their 1-2 loss to City, they showed support for manager Xabi Alonso through the intensity they displayed during the match.

"We want to win our matches given the situation we’re in. We’ve dropped many points in the league, and in the Champions League, we can’t afford to lose any more points to be among the top eight. We showed we’re with the manager; we gave our all," he told ‘Movistar Liga de Campeones’.

Regarding the 1-2 defeat, he felt they played ‘a good game’ but admitted he could have done better on City’s equaliser, where O’Rilley scored after a rebound off Courtois.

"We played a good game, everything went well. We scored to make it 1-0. The 1-1 equaliser was a bit of my mistake; the ball came at me too quickly, and I couldn’t clear it better. That’s where they gained some confidence. I have to see the penalty again, but I think it was one, though for their first goal, there was a push on Rudiger… In the second half, they started better, but from the 60th-65th minute, we had chances to equalise; it just wouldn’t go in, and we lost a game we should have won," he analysed.

"I don’t know if we lost confidence – with City’s two quick goals. It was a soft equaliser from a set-piece, and the penalty came very quickly too,"he added.

Courtois Manchester City

02 Nov2023	Real Madrid	-	Renewal
15 Jun2018	Santos FC	Real Madrid	€45M
21 Jul2017	Santos FC Academy	Santos FC	Free transfer

Rodrygo

Transfer History