Xabi Alonso admitted his mistake and apologized to the player: “I shouldn’t have taken you off”
Real Madrid beat Olympiacos in their visit to the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium (3-4), but the Whites missed a golden opportunity to make a real statement and increase the margin of victory in Athens, even though it was their first ever win in the Greek city. Xabi Alonso, who began the match visibly irritated after the home side’s early goal, ended it with mixed feelings, but quite certain that he got one substitution wrong—something he acknowledged to the player afterwards in Piraeus.
According to Defensa Central, Alonso had a sincere conversation with Arda Güler to apologize to the Turkish youngster. Arda started the match, but in the 60th minute the manager replaced him with Jude Bellingham, who began on the bench due to some minor muscle discomfort. “I shouldn’t have taken you off,” Xabi told Güler, admitting that once he substituted him, Madrid forgot how to attack and failed to generate further danger… and it nearly cost them the draw.
Güler started somewhat slowly, but grew into the game and provided the assist for Madrid’s second goal with a superb header. The number 15 linked up very well with Trent Alexander-Arnold, who is steadily consolidating his place on the right flank. In the second half, Arda thrived in the spaces left open by Olympiacos. With room to operate, the Turkish midfielder shone on the ball and worked hard without it.
Xabi’s priorities
When asked about what happened in the second half, Xabi downplayed the issue in the press conference. “First, I want to highlight the most important thing: the three points; vital not only for the standings but also to break a run of three games without a win. We weren’t feeling good. The match had all kinds of moments,” the coach said, offering a detailed analysis of what took place: “We went 1–0 down in the 8th minute, but we stayed calm, confident, and mature enough not to lose our heads. We turned the game around comfortably and then… there were all sorts of phases. We lacked adjustments, longer spells of possession… But once the match ended, I’m sticking with the three points.”
