Real Madrid Players Support Xabi Alonso Amid Hust And Pressure

JAKARTA - Xabi Alonso said he understood the whistle from supporters of the Santiago Bernabeu after Real Madrid's 1-2 defeat to Manchester City in the Champions League on Thursday, December 11, 2025.

He insists that there is nothing to be criticized for his team's performance. With Kylian Mbappe injured, Rodrygo put Real Madrid ahead in the first half - ending a 32-match drought - before Nico O'Pelanche equalized for Manchester City and Erling Haaland's penalty brought the visitors ahead.

Real Madrid and Alonso entered the match under pressure after a 0-2 home defeat to Celta Vigo on Monday, December 8, 2025, which resulted in only one win in five games in LaLiga.

ESPN reports that club executives have met to discuss the future of the Spaniard.

"When you don't win at home it can happen. We feel the energy from the audience, when the team needs it, which drives them forward."

"At the end of the match, if there is a whistle, we can understand it and accept it. The demands are very high," Alonso said at a press conference after the match.

Real Madrid started the season well, winning 11 of LaLiga's 12 games, before the Champions League defeat against Liverpool last month sparked a slump that left the team to draw with Rayo Vallecano, Elche, and Girona before being beaten by Celta.

Alonso's management style and performance from key players have been criticized. Meanwhile, Los Blancos are also facing an injury crisis that caused eight first-team players, including Mbappe, to miss the match against Manchester City.

"The team continued to struggle, we tried until the end. With all the difficulties we faced due to the storm of injury, the players gave everything. Today I have nothing to criticize."

"The results in November and December 2025 are not as good, or not as we would like. We are critical of ourselves, but we must continue to work and believe that this will pass," Alonso said again.

Seeing the pressure on Alonso, midfielder Jude Bellingham said the players 100 percent supported the coach.

"The manager is great. I personally have a good relationship with him, as do many other players. After the first few games where we drew, we had some good internal conversations."

"In recent matches, we have again let ourselves down. However, no one has given up, no one complains, fusss, or thinks the season is over," Bellingham told TNT Sports.

Meanwhile goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois denied that the match against Manchester City was a 'trial' for Alonso.

"We don't see it that way. We want to win because we know the situation we are in. We have lost too many points in LaLiga."

"Even though we played well in the Champions League, we couldn't get out of the top eight. However, I think today we showed that we support the manager," Courtois told Movistar.

Apart from that, Alonso praised goal scorer Rodrygo, who hugged the coach after scoring. He also did not say whether Mbappe would be available or not for this weekend's game against Alaves.

"We still don't know if he will be able to play on Sunday. However, today (against Manchester City) he can't play," said Alonso.