'There are no excuses' – Alonso vows to learn from Madrid's derby humiliation
Xabi Alonso was scathing of Real Madrid's display after they lost 5-2 to Atletico Madrid, vowing his team would take lessons from the game.
Xabi Alonso vowed Real Madrid will learn from Saturday's humiliating 5-2 derby defeat to Atletico Madrid, saying there could be no excuse for his team's below-par display.
Madrid approached Saturday's game having won their first five matches under Alonso in LaLiga, giving the former midfielder the chance to oversee their first seven-match winning streak from the start of a campaign since 1987-88.
Things looked to be going well after goals from Kylian Mbappe and Arda Guler put them 2-1 up in the first half, but Alexander Sorloth equalised just before half-time.
And after the interval, two Julian Alvarez goals – one from the penalty spot and the other from a free-kick – gave Atleti daylight, with Antoine Griezmann adding further gloss to the scoreline late on.
Speaking after the defeat, which gives Barcelona a chance to move top of LaLiga when they host Real Sociedad on Sunday, Alonso said: "It was a bad game.
"We didn't start well. We didn't play well collectively, we were not at our level.
"We are still in a construction phase, and we have to draw conclusions because they will serve us for the future. There are no excuses, it is a deserved defeat. We lacked a lot.
"Today, the team did not compete at the level that is required in these matches. We will have to raise our level."
Madrid only managed six shots with a total expected goals (xG) value of 0.66, compared to Atletico recording 13 attempts worth 2.34 xG.
Jude Bellingham was handed his first start of the season, having made a handful of substitute appearances after recovering from shoulder surgery.
But the England international only managed one shot with an xG value of 0.03, while he only created one chance for a team-mate and lost possession on seven occasions.
Some onlookers accused Alonso of starting a player who was not yet match fit, but the Madrid boss had no misgivings about Bellingham's involvement.
"He was training well. We were not fluid; without him, we lost the duels.
"We will analyse our decisions afterwards. We will not forget this heavy defeat. It is a process of development. We have to be critical, analyse why and try to improve."
