Xabi Alonso has moved to clarify his decision-making process after leaving Vinicius Jr. on the bench for Sunday's comfortable league win.
- Alonso confirmed Vinicius was benched for tactical reasons
- Brazilian came off the bench to score in Madrid's 3-0 win
- Decision was part of Alonso's rotation policy
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WHAT HAPPENED?
Real Madrid manager Alonso has stated that his decision to bench Vinicius Jr for the 3-0 La Liga win against Real Oviedo was made purely for the good of the team. Alonso addressed the Brazilian's surprise omission from the starting XI in his post-match press conference, explaining that such choices are based on tactical needs. Despite starting as a substitute, Vinicius came on to score the final goal in the 90th minute, adding to a brace from Kylian Mbappe.
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THE BIGGER PICTURE
The victory maintains Real Madrid's perfect start to the La Liga campaign, with two wins from their opening two matches, placing them third in the table behind Villarreal and Barcelona on goal difference. The 3-0 victory marks Real Madrid's second consecutive clean sheet in La Liga this season. Despite the perfect start, the decision to drop Vinicius for Sunday's game raised a few eyebrows amid fears over the attacker's future, given he reportedly rejected a new contract offer from the club.
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WHAT ALONSO SAID
Speaking on the Brazilian's rare appearance among the substitutes, Alonso said: "Everyone is different, and you have to demand respect, and the relationship is a little different. In football, decisions are made with the team in mind; you have to understand things, and that was the case today.
"The substitutions from game to game depend on what we need in terms of workload and opponent. I haven't made any decisions for next month. It's important for people to feel important, ready, and ready for the next game. It's important to maintain a stable performance as a team. It was a game to see that we continue to grow. After Tuesday against Osasuna, we've grown today, and we want to continue like this.
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- AFP
WHAT NEXT FOR REAL MADRID?
With a busy schedule of domestic and Champions League fixtures on the horizon, squad rotation is set to continue under Alonso. All eyes will be on the teamsheet for their next La Liga match against Mallorca to see if Vinicius Jr is restored to the starting lineup. Meanwhile, players like Rodrygo and Franco Mastantuono will be hoping their performances have earned them further opportunities.
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