The coach avoided falling into alarmism.
Xabi highlighted the strong response from his players after halftime, noting that the team showed “a very good reaction” and “a real desire to come back from 1–0.” According to him, Real Madrid created “three or four chances inside the box to win the game,” even if the final touch never arrived.
But self-criticism was equally present.
The manager admitted that Madrid lacked “longer stretches of good offensive football” and the ability to “be more dominant,” particularly in a first half where Girona dictated the tempo more effectively. Xabi felt the second half was “much better,” but still short of the comeback expected from a front line featuring Kylian Mbappé, Jude Bellingham, and Vinícius Junior.
