Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso said his team deserved their 5-2 humiliation by rivals Atletico Madrid in Saturday’s derby clash.
Los Blancos, the league leaders, had won all of their previous games this season but were outplayed by Diego Simeone’s team at the Metropolitano Stadium.
“We didn’t play well as a team, or in pressing; we were not at the level that we should be,” Alonso told reporters.
“We’re in a construction phase; today was our first loss, and we have to take conclusions from what happened, but there are no excuses. We’re hurting; it’s a derby and a deserved defeat.”
Alonso also stated that Real Madrid was not combative enough against the Rojiblancos, who played with intensity and attacked relentlessly.
“We lacked that intensity… We didn’t compete well enough today, not at the level that these games need,” continued Alonso.
“We’re not happy, but we can’t forget what we were doing before, what we were doing well.
“We’re in a state of progress… How we react to this will be the important thing in the next game, or when we face a strong opponent, like Atletico did today.
“We wouldn’t be smart if we were not capable of taking the positive out of the pain that we have today.”
