Alonso surprised by Real Madrid left back crisis

 Alonso surprised by Real Madrid left back crisis

MADRID, Oct. 17 (Xinhua) -- Real Madrid and Spain international midfielder Xabi Alonso said on Wednesday he was surprised by the injuries which have affected¹ defenders² Marcelo, Fabio Coentrao and Alvaro Arbeloa to leave the club struggling to find cover at left back for the next whole month.

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

"It's incredible that in just seven days all three of them have fallen injured," admitted Alonso at a publicity³ 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 unwilling⁴ 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 squad⁵.

"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.

1 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

2 defenders   

n.防御者( defender的名词复数 )；守卫者；保护者；辩护者

参考例句：

• The defenders were outnumbered and had to give in. 抵抗者寡不敌众，只能投降。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• After hard fighting,the defenders were still masters of the city. 守军经过奋战仍然控制着城市。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 publicity   

n.众所周知，闻名；宣传，广告

参考例句：

• The singer star's marriage got a lot of publicity.这位歌星的婚事引起了公众的关注。
• He dismissed the event as just a publicity gimmick.他不理会这件事，只当它是一种宣传手法。

4 unwilling   

adj.不情愿的

参考例句：

• The natives were unwilling to be bent by colonial power.土著居民不愿受殖民势力的摆布。
• His tightfisted employer was unwilling to give him a raise.他那吝啬的雇主不肯给他加薪。

5 squad   

n.班，小队，小团体；vt.把…编成班或小组

参考例句：

• The squad leader ordered the men to mark time.班长命令战士们原地踏步。
• A squad is the smallest unit in an army.班是军队的最小构成单位。