“Everyone in the squad will be rotated,” said the Real Madrid coach.
This season, Kylian Mbappé has started all five of Real Madrid’s opening matches, scoring a team-high six goals. But coach Xabi Alonso has made it clear there will be times when the French forward won’t make the starting XI. He plans to rotate his squad regularly.
Alonso has already used Rodrygo on the left wing several times in place of Vinícius Júnior this season. When asked on Friday whether Mbappé is guaranteed a place in the starting lineup, the Real coach explained his plans:
“‘We have a lot of matches and I’m sure there will be games where he (Mbappé) won’t be in the starting XI. He has to accept that as normal. Kylian is very important, but there will be days when he might not start. We’ve only played five matches; it’s too early to draw conclusions.’”
On Tuesday, Vinícius was reportedly unhappy after being left out of the starting lineup in Real’s 2-1 Champions League win over Marseille. Rodrygo started instead, with Vinícius coming on as a substitute in the 63rd minute.
Alonso said he spoke to Vinícius during Friday’s training session and everything seemed fine.
Real Madrid face Espanyol at home on Saturday. They sit top of La Liga with 12 points from their first four matches.
