‘You have to demand respect’: Alonso on benching Vinicius

Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso clarified why he chose to keep star player Vinicius Jr. on the bench at the start of their LaLiga tie against Osasuna on Sunday.

Vinicius came on as a substitute and scored on the 90th minute, adding to a brace from Kylian Mbappe to help Madrid to a comfortable 3-0 win.

Alonso explained that the decision to keep Vinicius on the bench was for the betterment of the team, hinting that he will institute a rotation policy for Madrid this season and will give game time to more players to make them feel a part of the unit.

"Everyone is different, and you have to demand respect, and the relationship is a little different. In football, decisions are made with the team in mind; you have to understand things, and that was the case today," Alonso said after the match.

"The substitutions from game to game depend on what we need in terms of workload and opponent. I haven't made any decisions for next month. It's important for people to feel important, ready, and ready for the next game. It's important to maintain a stable performance as a team. It was a game to see that we continue to grow. After Tuesday against Osasuna, we've grown today, and we want to continue like this," he added.

With the win, Madrid have an all-win record in the league after three games. Their next match in the league will be against Mallorca on Sunday.