MADRID -- Xabi Alonso insisted on Friday that none of his Real Madrid players have ever refused to play out of position, after Federico Valverde was forced to release a statement denying that he had done so this week.
Valverde was left out of Madrid's 5-0 Champions League win at Kairat Almaty -- a day after reiterating that he "wasn't born to play right-back" -- and faced criticism from some fans for his apparent attitude on the touchline.
In recent weeks, Alonso has also faced questions over his relationship with Vinícius Júnior -- who looked unhappy about being substituted in a game last month -- and Rodrygo, who, ESPN reported, has asked to be considered on the left-wing, rather than the right.
"No player -- not Fede, not Rodrygo, not Vini -- has ever said to me that they don't want to play in a position," Alonso said in a news conference on Friday ahead of Madrid's LaLiga game with Villarreal. "That hasn't happened. Everyone wants to play, and when they don't play, they'd like to be on the pitch.
"But no player has said to me that he doesn't want to play. They all have a good attitude, and I decide, and I have to choose what's best for the team. I want to make that clear."
Alonso's team started the season well, winning seven games in a row in all competitions, before suffering a heavy 5-2 defeat to Atlético Madrid in the Madrid derby last Saturday.
Real Madrid bounced back with the 5-0 victory in Kazakhstan in midweek -- Kylian Mbappé scoring a hat trick -- but in the aftermath of the derby loss, there has been an increased spotlight on Alonso, and his players.
"We [the team] spend a lot of time together," Alonso said on Friday. "We prepare games, we celebrate when we win, we hurt when we lose. That makes us close, and very united.
"I've always felt trust and closeness with the players, knowing my position, but respecting each other. That's fundamental for me."
Alonso -- who replaced the veteran Carlo Ancelotti, famed for his easygoing style, in the summer -- said he wasn't surprised by the fuss surrounding stars like Vinícius and Valverde.
"I get the feeling that the team is the most important thing," Alonso said. "When someone wants to play and doesn't -- it's normal, it's natural. It isn't anything new. We have to live with it. It will happen again. We're calm."
Alonso said he had no issue with Jude Bellingham, who has returned from shoulder surgery in the last two weeks, being left out of the England squad by Thomas Tuchel.
"I've spoken with [Bellingham]," Alonso said. "Tuchel had told him. It's a question of time for him to be back in the squad, he'll be in the next one.
Jude is getting better, little by little, after the injury and he wants to contribute. It's a matter of time for him to get back to his level."
Saturday's game at the Bernabéu sees second-placed Madrid host third-placed Villarreal, with both sides looking to close the gap on leaders Barcelona.