<figure id="attachment_3229834" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-3229834" style="width: 1600px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-3229834" src="https://media.freemalaysiatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/9a72cd38-xabi-alonso-08122025.webp" alt="" width="1600" height="1000" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-3229834" class="wp-caption-text">Real Madrid&#8217;s head coach Xabi Alonso gestures during the match against Celta Vigo. (EPA Images pic)</figcaption></figure>
MADRID: Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso called on his team to bounce back quickly after a painful defeat by Celta Vigo on Sunday when they face Manchester City in the Champions League.
Los Blancos have won just two of their last seven games across all competitions and were beaten 2-0 at home by Celta in La Liga, leaving them four points behind leaders Barcelona.
Madrid finished the game with nine men after red cards for Fran Garcia and Alvaro Carreras, ahead of the clash with Pep Guardiola&#8217;s City in Europe on Wednesday.
&#8220;We are all angry, evidently this was not the game we wanted, and it was not the result we wanted,&#8221; Alonso told reporters at the Bernabeu.
&#8220;We have to try and turn the page as quickly as possible. It&#8217;s only three points.
&#8220;We have the Champions League game against City to react in and get this bad taste out of our mouths.&#8221;
Alonso&#8217;s side has struggled for form in recent weeks, leading to speculation over his future at the club in Spanish media.
Asked if he was playing for his future against City, Alonso insisted it was only the points at stake.
&#8220;We&#8217;re playing for three points in the Champions League, in a competition we&#8217;re in a good position in, and that&#8217;s what we&#8217;re playing for,&#8221; continued Alonso.
&#8220;But we want to play well, we want to play a good game, and we want to show we can play a lot better than we did today. We know that.&#8221;

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