Sport
Alonso Says He Benched Vinicius to Keep Him Fresh and Ready for the Long Season
Real Madrid boss Xabi Alonso has revealed why he decided to keep Vinicius Junior on the bench in their 2-1 Champions League win over Marseille on Tuesday night.
Alonso went with Rodrygo in the starting lineup ahead of his fellow Brazilian, leaving Vinicius to make his impact later in the game when he came on in the second half.
Despite Marseille’s push, two penalties from Kylian Mbappe sealed the victory for Los Blancos at the Bernabeu.
When asked about his decision to bench Vinicius, Alonso explained that it was all about managing the squad during a busy period. He stressed the importance of every player feeling valued, saying the season is long and everyone will have their chance to step up.
Super Eagles defender Calvin Bassey has opened up about a difficult period in his career, revealing that he almost stepped away from football.
Speaking during a recent interview, Bassey shared that he once made a personal promise to himself to quit pursuing football professionally if he failed to secure a spot at a professional club.
“I remember being 15 and going into my final year, and I told myself that if I didn’t get into a professional club, I would quit football. It was that simple,” he said.
“I would just stop pursuing it seriously and only play for fun. Thank God I eventually got a club, because I honestly don’t know where I would be otherwise.”
It has been reported that the Confederation of African Football (CAF) fined Egypt $5,000 following their clash with Zimbabwe for failing to manage post-match media obligations.
It was noted that after the match, the Egyptian players ignored the media. This action was said to be a violation of CAF’s media regulations, which led to the fine being imposed.
Head of the Super Eagles, Eric Chelle, shared that the big-name players on the team are not happy about being benched.
He recalled when he took out Samuel Chukwueze during the match against Tanzania.
“Yes, of course, we’ve in this team a lot of big names. They are competitors; they aren’t happy when they go to the bench,” Chelle said at his post-match interview.”
“My job is to make choices, and we’re playing a 4-4-2 diamond, and at this moment I feel we have to protect the wing.”
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