"Losing at Anfield is not a disaster" - Xabi Alonso sums up the match against Liverpool

Real Madrid’s first defeat in this season’s Champions League campaign will have the Madrid side questioning their preparation.

Details: After a narrow loss at Anfield to Liverpool in the fourth round of the Champions League, Los Blancos’ head coach Xabi Alonso shared his thoughts on why his team couldn’t even snatch a draw:

"Losing at Anfield is not a disaster. We played against a very strong opponent.

There are different ways to lose, and this defeat is very different from what happened at the Metropolitano. Today, the team’s image was good, and we need to improve certain things for matches at this level.

In the second half, there was a fifteen-minute spell where we conceded several corners and direct free kicks around our penalty area. Those were unnecessary fouls, and we lost the initiative because of them. They are strong in such situations and eventually scored against us," Alonso stated.

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The Los Blancos manager also admitted his side lacked sharpness in attack:

"It was tough for us to reach their back line and cause them problems.

I tried to keep the team in the game, but in the second half we committed too many fouls near our box. We lacked a bit in the final third and sometimes lost the ball too quickly. But here, at Anfield, you can lose. You have to keep your head up and stay calm," the Spaniard confessed.

This defeat is Real’s first in the current Champions League, and at the moment the Galacticos sit fifth in the overall group standings with 9 points.

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