Real Madrid headed back to the top of the La Liga table despite drawing with Elche. Los Blancos came from behind twice to draw 2-2, thanks to goals from Dean Huijsen and Jude Bellingham.
Barcelona have now cut the gap from six points to one over the last two games. Xabi Alonso is not worried despite the recent results. The Spaniard was happy with the team's attitude to going 1-0 and 2-1 down. Now they need to start thinking about the next game.
Xabi Alonso vs Elche
IMAGO / NurPhoto
The games come thick and fast for Real Madrid as they face Olympiacos in the Champions League this week, and then Girona in La Liga this weekend.
Xabi Alonso spoke to the media after the club's goalless draw against Madrid-based Rayo Vallecano. (per Real Madrid).
“That’s football. After a good run, we’re now getting results that aren’t what we wanted. But we still know what we want. We have to keep moving forward. We're not happy because we know perfectly well that we always want to win, and when we don't, we can't be happy. There are still many games left before the end of the year, and we have to start thinking about the next one by analysing what we've done today.”
Xabi Alonso
Q: Performance in recent games
Alonso: “The team never gave up. We’re still competing. We know that the context of each game is different. Obviously, the result could be better. We're aware of that and we're self-critical, but the direction is clear, the spirit remains good and we have to respond in the face of adversity. This is Real Madrid and every unfavourable result attracts criticism, which we have to live with. We want to improve. The team never gave up."
👔 @XabiAlonso: "The team never gave up."
🎙️ Press conference ➡️ RM Play
— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) November 23, 2025
Q: Connection
Alonso: “The connection is improving because we have more time, we interact more and we're getting to know each other better. We're all in the same boat, everyone together in the same direction. We celebrate victories, we suffer, as we did today, and we're not happy when we don't get the desired result. The connection is good, the day-to-day is good. We need to turn this moment around a little bit and we have the opportunity to do so starting in Athens.”
Q: Fran García's position
**Alonso: "**He's played a lot in that position. We had players who had been here and had more training time. We have players on the bench who could be important in bringing freshness. We tried to have that width on both wings, doing it a little differently. Then, in the second half, Vini also came on to give us width."
"It was a shame that after making it 1-1, we conceded; we went 2-1 down when it was time to go for the comeback. That 2-1 hurt us, but despite that, we kept fighting; we made it 2-2 and had another good chance to come back. I felt that when it was 1-1, we should have thrown ourselves into the opposition's half and not conceded that second."
🙌 HASTA EL FINAL! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/Gz33TAF3Sc
— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) November 23, 2025
Q: Vini coming off the bench
Alonso: "We'd talked about it, as we often do. He understands. He knew the role and the impact he could have. We'd done it before, like in the game against Getafe. He's still connected. Today we're not as happy as we'd like to be, but everyone is energised and wants to get back to a good result and a good dynamic."
Q: Concerns
Alonso: "I analyse everything after the games. I try to draw conclusions with the coaching staff and convey to the players what we're doing well and what we need to improve. Today I felt we lacked that continuity after making it 1-1 and going 2-1 down. It hurt us a little, but despite that we came back. In the first half, the game was working in our favour to put us ahead, even though we didn't manage it."
The Latest Real Madrid News
Elche 2-2 Real Madrid: Report & Full Match Highlights as Los Blancos Draw Again
Real Madrid President Florentino Perez Fires Shots at Barcelona, Javier Tebas, and Others
Borussia Dortmund Player Reportedly Dreams of Playing for Liverpool or Real Madrid
Zinedine Zidane's Assistant David Bettoni Reveals One Major Thing Real Madrid Are Missing