Alonso surprised by Real Madrid's left back crisis

Madrid, Oct 18 (IANS): Real Madrid and Spain international midfielder Xabi Alonso said he was surprised by the injuries which have affected defenders Marcelo, Fabio Coentrao and Alvaro Arbeloa to leave the club struggling to find a left back for the next whole month.

Arbeloa injured his hamstring playing in Spain’s 1-1 draw at home to France Tuesday night and joins Marcelo (broken metatarsal) and Coentrao (groin strain) on the injury list, reports Xinhua.

“It’s incredible that in just seven days all three of them have fallen injured,” admitted Alonso at a publicity event.

“However, I am certain that the coach (Jose Mourinho) is thinking about the solution for Saturday’s game (against Celta) and for our next Champions League game,” added Alonso, who was unwilling to say whether or not Mourinho should give a chance to B-team players Jorge Casado and Nacho Fernandez.

“It’s not for me to say. I play and try to support whoever is in the team, be it someone from the first team or the B-team squad.

“When you are at your top level the fact is that it is always a busy schedule. We play around 60-70 matches a season and the fact is that a different schedule would be welcome in the future,” he added.