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Barcelona new signing Marcos Alonso made his first start for the club since arriving on a free transfer in the 2-0 Champions League defeat to Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena.
The left-back put in a strong showing but was guilty of a high-profile error which led to Bayern’s opening goal. Alonso lost Lucas Hernandez at a corner, allowing the 26-year-old to head past goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen and made it 1-0.
Alonso was well aware of his mistake and was quick to apologize to his new teammates in the dressing room after the game, as reported by Javier Miguel at Diario AS. The coaching staff were quick to play down the error and instead applauded his contribution on his first start.
Yet Xavi did made it clear after the match he was not happy with his team’s mistakes. The visitors had dominated the first half, creating several clear chances, but failed to score and were then undone after the break.
“No way should our rival be allowed to score from a failure of marking at a corner when we have the match under control,” he told reporters after the game. “Or to score down the middle on a counter attack. We must learn from these mistakes.”
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Alonso Analyzes Bayern Defeat
Alonso did speak out after the loss at Bayern and shared his thoughts on the game. The former Chelsea man told Barca TV+ he felt his team deserved more out of the match but is happy they are moving in the right direction.
“In games against rivals like Bayern you have to take advantage of chances. They have top quality, they’re physically strong and obviously, they also create danger,” he said. “We’ve been good. I think we’ve created enough to win or at least get a better result, but hey, let’s keep working. It’s a missed opportunity, but there’s a long way to go and I think we have to stick with the positives from here.”
The defender’s move to Barcelona did come as something of a surprise but there’s no doubt he offers bags of experience. Alonso won a host of trophies with Chelsea including the Champions League, Premier League, Club World Cup, and the European Super Cup.
Will Alonso Continue at Left-Back?
Xavi has decisions to make across his backline and has yet to decide on an established back four. He has competition for places at left-back and in the heart of the defense following a summer of spending.
Alonso is competing with teenager Alejandro Balde and veteran Jordi Alba for the position on the left side of the backline. Alba started the season in the team but was dropped and replaced by Balde after a poor showing against Rayo.
Balde has largely impressed since coming into the team but does lack top-level experience. The 18-year-old was replaced for the trip to Bayern, although it remains to be seen if Alonso will keep his place for Barca’s next game against Elche in La Liga.
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