David Alaba suffers injury concern in Real Madrid’s loss to Getafe

David Alaba’s night against Getafe ended with a fitness worry after Alvaro Arbeloa confirmed the defender felt discomfort at the break in Real Madrid’s 1-0 defeat.

The coach explained that the decision to withdraw Alaba at half-time was influenced by both the slight strain and a desire to change the team’s build-up from the back. Arbeloa brought on Dean Huijsen to add more aggression and help Real Madrid push higher up the pitch in search of an equaliser.

“With Dean, Alaba had a slight strain at halftime, but we also wanted to be more aggressive in the central defenders’ buildup, to step up and create more space in their structure,” Arbeloa said.

The change was part of a broader tactical reshuffle that also saw Dani Carvajal introduced to provide extra width and intensity on the flanks. Even with those adjustments, Madrid struggled to break down a disciplined Getafe side and left empty-handed.

Arbeloa later stressed that some of his other substitutions, including Thiago’s, were not performance-based, underlining his trust in the players despite the frustrating result.

For Alaba, the focus now turns to recovering quickly so he can remain a key figure in Madrid’s defence during a crucial phase of the season.
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