Real Madrid fell, and heavily. For its first big test of the season, the Xabi Alonso project had a nightmarish evening this Saturday at Metropolitano, undergoing a historic humiliation (5-2) against an unleashed Atlético de Madrid. A first defeat this season which hurts a lot, as the Merengue seemed soulless and outdated. While we could expect an angry coach or shot in a press conference, Xabi Alonso took everyone on the wrong foot with an analysis of remarkable lucidity and view, transforming this fiasco into a potential lesson in life for his group.
No question for Xabi Alonso to hide or seek apology. The Basque coach has drawn up a brutal but honest observation of the performance of his family. “” It was a bad match. A deserved defeat”He admitted bluntly. “We did not compete at the level required for these matches, against these rivals. He pointed out a lack of “rhythm” and “intensity”, especially in duels where his players were “too often losing”. And to close any debate, he swept all arbitral controversy: ” There is no complaint to make the referee. »»
“Positive pain”, the surprising remedy of Alonso
Where Alonso's speech becomes fascinating is in its way of managing this rout. Rather than helping, he immediately cropped defeat as a step, certainly painful, but potentially beneficial. “” It must hurt us, but it must be a pain that we use positively“He philosophy. He even added that this defeat may be ” A bad … positive for the future. A way of transforming a humiliation into an opportunity for growth and questioning.
For Xabi Alonso, this first defeat is a life -size test for the character of his team. He recalled that the group was still in a “phase of progression” and that “in this phase, there are difficult days. The essential, now, is not defeat in itself, but the rest. “” How we will react, this is what will be important”He insisted. “How we will react to the next match (…) It is there that we will see largely who we are. »»
Alonso assumes: “a deserved defeat” but “positive for the future”
Learn from a nightmare evening
This philosophical approach does not mean a lack of analysis. On the contrary, Alonso insisted on the need to be “criticism with ourselves, analyze the why and try to improve us. He recognized the pain of the supporters (“it hurts the AFICIĂłn”) and assumed responsibility. The message is clear: suffer from this defeat, yes, but use it intelligently so as not to repeat the same mistakes. “” We would not be intelligent if we were not able to shoot the positive, inside the pain we feel today. »»
For his first real setback at the head of Real Madrid, Xabi Alonso offered a crisis communication lesson. By fully assuming a “deserved defeat” while immediately transforming it into “positive pain”, he defused any emerging controversial and set a new course to his players: the reaction. This baptism of painful fire is the first big test of its method. The response of his team on the field in the next match will be the first real indicator of the scope of his speech.
