Xabi Alonso Explains Vinicius Jr.’s Substitution in Supercopa Loss to Barcelona

Xabi Alonso on Vinicius Jr. and Real Madrid’s response to defeat

After the game, Xabi Alonso confirmed that Vinicius Jr. requested to be substituted in the final minutes.

Alonso encouraged his team to quickly move past the loss and focus on the rest of the season, noting that the Supercopa is not their main priority.

“Vinicius played well until the end. He wanted to come off because he was tired. The humidity affected him. He was a constant threat, and his goal was excellent,” Alonso stated.

“We need to move on quickly. This is the least significant of the competitions we have. We have to focus on getting our injured players back and boosting our morale.”

Real Madrid missed Eder Militao and Antonio Rudiger, while Kylian Mbappe only entered as a late substitute after a knee injury. Alonso mentioned that missing key players impacted the team’s balance during the match.

Real Madrid’s ongoing challenges against Barcelona

The defeat was Real Madrid’s third consecutive loss to Barcelona in a final. Alonso acknowledged the difficulty of losing to their rival but stressed the need to concentrate on upcoming matches.

“It’s tough to lose a final to a rival. We had opportunities, but small details made a difference,” he noted.

Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois echoed Alonso’s sentiments, stating Madrid “deserved to win” in the second half but failed to capitalize on chances.

Courtois added that the team would use this defeat as motivation for future domestic and European competitions.

With La Liga and Champions League matches coming up, Alonso expects a strong response from his players as they aim to recover and compete for major titles this season.