Xabi Alonso opens up on why he chose Rodrygo over Vini Jr

Real Madrid boss Xabi Alonso spoke to the media ahead of the upcoming fixture against high-flying Espanyol, who sit third in LaLiga. The manager was asked about the fixtures, Kylian Mbappé’s form, and the recent decision to leave star winger Vinicius Jr on the bench.

– How are you approaching tomorrow’s game? Espanyol are in very good form, but we also have good momentum and want to keep it going. It will be a tough match because they’re playing well, but we’re at home. We need to put in a strong performance.

– Is Mbappé the only guaranteed starter? There are a lot of games, and of course he won’t start all of them. You have to accept that naturally. It’s not impossible to play everything, but realistically, it won’t happen. Kylian is very important, but there will be matches where he doesn’t start.

– What do you think about Huijsen’s suspension being upheld? On the one hand, I’m not surprised. I would have liked a different outcome, but it wasn’t possible. If a mistake is recognized, it should have consequences—this time it didn’t. Let’s leave it there.

– Do you see Vinicius with less spark than before? He looks fine. After the other day, it didn’t feel like the right time to speak to him, but today he was more positive. I spoke with him a bit, and we did some exercises together.

– Valverde said recently that, after many conversations with Xabi, the decision was made not to play him at full-back again. Can you guarantee he’ll never be used there? Guarantees are difficult, because sometimes you get caught short. But the idea is clear: if we have players available, he’ll play in midfield, in his position. The other day he gave the team exactly what it needed—he was very generous, fundamental to our system. Hopefully he won’t have to play much at right-back, but in football you can never say “never.”

– Are Bellingham and Camavinga fit to start tomorrow? They might play, even if they’ve only just come back to training. We’ll see.

– How do you picture the game as a whole? We’ve had several matches shaped by context, especially red cards. I hope tomorrow we can have longer stretches with control. I want us to create chances, to bring stability to the game, because that also brings emotional stability. It prevents us from getting carried away, which can lead to bad decisions. The longer those phases last, the better.

– What does Rodrygo give you on the wing that Vinicius doesn’t? His quality, his link-up play, his ability to connect. But Vini has that as well. Whether starting or coming off the bench, his impact has been very good.

– Is the issue of insults in stadiums getting out of hand? In an ideal world, we wouldn’t have to deal with it. Personally, I don’t complain; it doesn’t affect me much. But for some of my players, it does. Unfortunately, you have to learn to live with it, otherwise it takes you out of the game and creates ugly situations. This has been getting out of hand for a while now.

– You’ll be facing Mourinho. How do you see it? I had the chance to face him when he was at Roma and I was at Leverkusen. For him, this will be special. He spent three very intense years here, and they were very important. He has great affection for this club.

– How do you get the best out of Vinicius again? Yesterday wasn’t the right moment to talk, but today we spoke a little. You need that intuition sometimes. We’ve only played five league games—there’s still a long way to go. This is a marathon until May. We have to take it step by step.

– Where do you see Camavinga fitting best? In midfield. He’s so complete he can play in several roles, like Valverde, but I see him as a six or an eight. He has so many qualities, and now the task is to integrate them fully into the team, both with and without the ball.

– How would you describe yourself as a manager of the group? I don’t usually describe myself. I’m just a coach—good or bad, that’s for others to decide.

– Is Vinicius’s focus slipping? For me, we have many important players—by level, experience, track record, and what they bring us. Vinicius is one of them, as are Jude, Fede, Aurélien, Dean, Arda... I’m not interested in putting labels on them. I value everyone and want the whole squad to feel important. We’re all in this together, and we need everyone pulling in the same direction.