Alonso urges Madrid to maintain high standards
Xabi Alonso insisted that he was not worried about Real Madrid's recent form despite watching his team draw for the third consecutive LaLiga match against Girona.
Los Blancos had previously been held by Rayo Vallecano and Elche, which increased the pressure to maintain their place at the top of the table and rival Barcelona.
But despite the best efforts of Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior, Madrid was only able to salvage a point after falling behind to Azzedine Ounahi's stunning 45th-minute strike.
Madrid saw two goals ruled out either side of the break after VAR reviews – the first from Mbappe for a handball and the second from Vinicius after the Brazilian strayed offside.
Mbappe restored parity from the penalty spot, but the draw marks the first time Madrid have recorded three straight league stalemates within a single season since December 2019 under Zinedine Zidane.
Despite his side collecting just one win from its last five matches in all competitions, Alonso chose to focus on the positives.
"I liked the reaction today; it wasn't enough, but we were close," he said. "We have to maintain the unity we have, with the necessary self-criticism. We're eager to win away from home, something that has affected us a lot in this schedule.
"A season has different phases. There were times, especially at the beginning, when we were consistent.
"And lately, there have been phases... today, the second half was much better than the first. And we were able to come back.
"The team was eager to overcome the 1-0 deficit. But we lacked the finishing touch. We had three or four clear chances inside the box to score the second goal and win.
"But we have to maintain the high standards that come with playing for Real Madrid."
Indeed, Madrid did create plenty of opportunities, particularly after the break, but was wasteful throughout. In total, it managed 25 shots, but only hit the target four times.
Only Real Betis has had more shots in a LaLiga match without winning this season, registering 28 in a 2-2 draw with Levante.
Despite its underwhelming recent performances and rumours in the media about a rift in the dressing room between players and coach, Alonso insisted that there is plenty of time left in the season and that Madrid remains firmly in the fight.
"In the second half, especially, there was improvement; we pushed forward and created more chances," he added.
"We had enough opportunities to win. But we lacked accuracy, not winning. We're still in the mix, it's a long season, and we have to keep going.
"We lacked the ability to play more good, attacking football, to be dominant. We did much more of that in the second half, and that's what we want.
"Why didn't we achieve it? That's what we need to analyse, look at, and try to do from the start. Or maintain that level in the second half, if we did it in the first.
"I said it the other day in the press conference, and it’s somewhat the same thing today."
