Julen Lopetegui claims “a Coach is always responsible for the bad but never the good” ahead of Real Madrid’s trip to Alaves on Saturday.
Madrid have gone three games without a win and not scored for over five hours, and Lopetegui cut a frustrated figure at his pre-match Press conference.
“Alaves are having a wonderful season and have gone six games without losing,” explained the Coach.
“It’ll be a very demanding game against a team who are very spirited and will require us to have a great game.
“We must get to grips with our opponents and respect them as much as possible. Alaves are having a wonderful season, with great players and a great Coach.
“We’ll go there with determination, knowing we’ve changed things, and we’ll try to consolidate the good feelings we’ve given at times.
“I expect a game of maximum demand against a team with very clear ideas, who exploit their resources well.
“They have players who have found their best form at Alaves and couldn’t at other teams. They have a collective idea, which forces you to do things very well to beat them.
“Our starting full-backs are injured, so we’ll look for solutions with maximum confidence for the players who are going to come in and do fantastically well.
“We’ve had injuries, especially those to Marcelo and most recently Dani, who might be out for a few weeks.
“There’s also Isco’s appendicitis and some discomfort that unfortunately remained with Ramos and Gareth.
“These are things that arise as a result of having so many matches bunched up. A Coach is always responsible for the bad but never the good…”
Madrid squad to face Alaves: Keylor, Casilla, Courtois; Vallejo, Ramos, Varane, Nacho, Odriozola, Reguilon; Kroos, Modric, Casemiro, Marcos Llorente, Asensio, Ceballos; Mariano, Benzema, Bale, Vazquez, Vinicius
