Xabi Alonso spoke in the press room at the Estadio de Vallecas and analysed the game against Rayo: “We were prepared for a demanding game. Both this year and in previous years, it's always been difficult for us to take the lead and have a good game because Rayo demand a lot from you. Especially in the second half, it was a game of transitions. They take you into a context where the matches are at a frenetic pace. It was like that today as well.”

“After the Anfield game, which is now behind us, today was one of those games that is a bit difficult to bring us back to the level we want to be in. In the second half anything could have happened. I don't put it down to emotional peaks. We want to be very stable in our preparation and in our mentality, because we know that the league is about taking it one game at a time. We couldn't get the win today.”

What concerns him more, the results or the performance?
“I’m concerned that we must keep growing, improving, and engaging in positive self-reflection. This is Madrid and we all know where we are. It's still November, there's a long way to go. We have to be demanding of ourselves and also prudent.”

Intensity
“We didn't win every duel, but we didn't lose them all either. Today was a very competitive match, with Rayo playing a lot on the transition. In the second half, the defence held up very well. We couldn't break them down on the offensive transitions, but on the defensive ones, Carreras, Militão, Asencio and Valverde did well with the help of Camavinga. It's not a lack of intensity.”

Should the forwards drop back to defend more?
“In the second half, the match got a bit out of control. There were a lot of transitions from Rayo and from us. We failed to create more chances in some of our attacks. The second half was very chaotic.”

Recent results
“We know where we are. You have to know how to balance the good times and the bad times. It's a long season. The demands are huge, but we can cope with them and we're preparing for them.”



Why didn’t he bring on Endrick or Gonzalo?
“We had other forwards on the pitch who can also create danger.”

On Trent
“Valverde was fine before the match. Trent needs a bit more time after his injury. I'm sure he'll be able to prepare well for what's coming during the [international] break.”

Has the team lost the spark that was seen in the United States?
“We started the season in August, when we played our first league game against Osasuna. That's when we had the full squad, all the players. The United States trip was before that.”