Xabi Alonso returned to Real Madrid as one of the most highly regarded young managers in world football, but six months into his role, he already faces an uncertain future. The crisis deepened with the defeat of old leader Josep Guardiola.
Real Madrid’s performance in their 2-1 loss to Man City was not one of those teams who have given up on their manager. They fought to the end, but it wasn’t enough. Alonso is in a precarious position after back-to-back defeats at the Bernabéu and only two wins out of eight.
Reports have suggested that Alonso could be sacked if he loses at the Bernabéu, but the reaction from the players and the Spanish media suggests he is not going anywhere yet. But time appears to be running out for the Real Madrid legend to turn things around.
Jude Bellingham (left) backs Alonso to turn things around at Real Madrid
Rodrygo took the lead for Real Madrid, but Man City came from behind to win.
Jude Bellingham insists his players are “100 per cent” behind Alonso. “The manager was fantastic,” the England star told TNT Sports. “I personally have a great relationship with him and I know a lot of the boys do as well.
“We had a great discussion internally after all the draws and felt like we were going to throw it away by the last couple of games. No one is dropping tools, no one is complaining or moaning. We’re going to take it on the chin and keep fighting.”
Real Madrid results are displayed on the slide
“Regardless of what’s going on outside, we’re still trying to figure things out inside the locker room. We know that doesn’t help. One thing is how we manage the game. At certain points where we have to suffer, it always feels like we’re conceding goals and that puts us behind and we have to play that we don’t want to.”
“But we have what we need in the locker room to turn things around. Maybe we need a little bit of luck, or maybe we need to have some internal discussions. I believe that this season is not over just because we are not feeling well.”
Jude Bellingham insists that Xabi Alonso has a good relationship with other Real Madrid players
Real Madrid hasn’t had a losing season at all. They are only four points behind La Liga leaders Barcelona after 16 games, and despite losing to Guardiola’s City, Real Madrid remain in the top eight of the Champions League table.
Alonso has made an excellent start to the season, winning 15 of his first 16 games, including a 2-1 win over Barcelona in El Clasico in October.
However, the team is currently in the midst of an alarming slump. They have lost three times in eight games, starting with the loss to Liverpool. It was only 1-0, but by the time Alonso returned to Anfield, Real Madrid were on the back foot.
Since then, Real Madrid narrowly defeated Olympiakos, had a comfortable win at Athletic Club, drawn with Elche, Rayo Vallecano and Girona, and have now lost at home to Celta Vigo and Man City.
Xabi Alonso’s Real Madrid have lost three of their last eight games.
Their performance has improved since the defeat at the weekend, but for Real Madrid president Florentino Perez, the result is more important than anything else. Alonso knows this well from his time at the club as a player.
“The performance was very strong and really professional,” he said after the defeat against City.
“We knew it was a Champions League-level game, but they did their best. I have no complaints about anything. It’s tough to lose again, but we tried until the end.”
It wasn’t easy for Alonso to implement the ideas that brought him success at Bayer Leverkusen, but he went on to win a domestic double in 2023/24, going unbeaten.
His views are more in line with former Bayern manager Guardiola than with former Real manager Carlo Ancelotti, who along with Zinedine Zidane mastered the art of managing the Galactico’s egos at the Bernabéu.
Alonso is a manager in the modern sense of the word and wants all his players to contribute in attack and defence. But that is not the method that has brought about Real Madrid’s success, and a problem has arisen.
Vinicius Junior reacts after getting a chance against Man City
Vinicius Junior’s angry reaction to being substituted against Barcelona in October was an expression of these problems, and Spanish media have suggested they are not going away.
Alonso knows what it takes to succeed at Real Madrid as a player, but his decision as a coach is yet to come. There is no doubt about his qualifications, the only concern is whether he will be a good fit.
