Real Madrid were jeered by their fans after suffering a shock 2-0 home loss to Celta Vigo in a match they finished with nine players.
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Celta, who were in the bottom half of La Liga before their visit to the Bernabeu on Sunday night, had not beaten Real Madrid in 22 league encounters. ..Continue Reading
But Williot Swedberg’s second-half brace secured Celta’s first triumph over Madrid since May 2014 and piled more pressure on manager Alonso.
Real Madrid have now managed just one win in their last five league outings and could drop to third in La Liga if Villarreal win their game in hand.
It was a night to forget for both Real Madrid and Alonso, as Fran Garcia and Alvaro Carreras were both sent off during the hosts’ collapse at the Bernabeu.
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High expectations surrounded Alonso following his appointment as Carlo Ancelotti’s successor during the summer.
The former Liverpool star had previously spent three seasons managing Bayer Leverkusen, guiding them to a rare Bundesliga title in 2023-24.
Real Madrid began the campaign strongly, but Los Blancos have now won only two of their last seven matches across all competitions, falling four points behind La Liga leaders and fierce rivals Barcelona.
The disappointing result against Celta Vigo came at a difficult moment, as Alonso had earlier disclosed that he had spoken with club president Florentino Perez regarding the team’s recent struggles.
Real Madrid’s inconsistent form will be under scrutiny again on Wednesday night when they host Premier League heavyweights Manchester City at the Bernabeu.
Spanish outlet AS reports that the Champions League fixture is viewed as a ‘crucial test’ for Real Madrid and Alonso, though the unexpected defeat to Celta Vigo is not expected to impact his ‘immediate future’ at the helm.
Speaking to the media after the loss, Alonso said: ‘We are all angry, evidently this was not the game we wanted, it was not the result we wanted.
‘We have to try and turn the page as quickly as possible. It’s only three points.
‘We have the Champions League game against City to react in, and get this bad taste out of our mouths.’
When asked whether his position was under threat ahead of the clash with Manchester City, Alonso responded: ‘We’re playing for three Champions League points, that’s it.
‘We’re in a good position [in the Champions League], that’s what’s at stake. We want to perform well and play better than we did today.
‘We are all united, knowing that this is football, of course. We have to look forward. The demand we know what it is, the defeats hurt a lot, but you have to look forward.
‘It is the responsibility of all of this, together we must assume to do things well. We know that the points that go are important, but not decisive.’
Manchester City prepared for their Champions League showdown with Real Madrid by defeating Sunderland 3-0 at the Etihad Stadium.
Three consecutive league victories have lifted Pep Guardiola’s team to second place in the Premier League, just two points behind table-toppers Arsenal.
Man City were beaten 6-3 on aggregate by Real Madrid in last season’s Champions League, and Guardiola is hopeful his side will ‘play like who we are’ this time.
‘It’s never an easy place,’ former Barcelona manager Guardiola said.
‘We missed an opportunity against Leverkusen to be close but we are going to do our game and we have three options to get the points we need to go there [the knockout phase].
‘It’s another competition. Hopefully we can play like we are. Always I wish when you go to play on the big stages is play like who we are.’
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