Alonso on the brink of Real Madrid

Patience at Real Madrid is always fragile, but never before has Xabi Alonso felt the heat under his feet so intensely.

Xabi Alonso is at high risk of being sacked.

The 0-2 defeat to Celta Vigo at home was met with boos, disheartened headshakes, and a closed-door meeting among Real Madrid's leaders at the Bernabéu. The question was no longer "Is Alonso in trouble?" but "How much time does he have left?".

Real Madrid are four points behind Barcelona, ​​have won only one of their last five La Liga matches, and have lost all the momentum they had after their October victory over Barcelona. From a dream run of 13 wins in 14 games, Real Madrid have reverted to the inconsistent form that has always been the nemesis of every manager at the Bernabeu. And there, doubt spreads like wildfire.

The first bumps of change

When Alonso arrived at Real Madrid, he brought with him a modern philosophy: high-intensity pressing, rhythmic attacking play—what he called "rock & roll." But Real Madrid is a unique entity. They want to win, but they don't always want to change.

President Florentino Perez was once persuaded to choose "innovative" coaches like Rafael Benitez or Julen Lopetegui. However, whenever the team faltered, he always reverted to a safer model: a coach who intervened minimally, like Carlo Ancelotti or Zinedine Zidane.

Alonso is facing that very same cycle. When things were going well, when Real Madrid won both in style and scoreline, he received absolute support. But after the defeat to Liverpool, and two dull draws against Rayo and Elche, Real began to show familiar signs: leaks of internal information, complaints that there was too much training, and that the players were being turned into robots.

That was the first point of contact between the new ideas and the strong ego of the Real Madrid dressing room.

Managing personnel is the most difficult challenge at Real Madrid.

Ancelotti once warned Alonso that Real Madrid was the toughest dressing room of his career. Not because the players were "problematic," but because everyone had their own goals. Mbappe was thinking about records. Vinicius feared losing his status. Valverde wanted to return to his central midfield role. Jude Bellingham was excellent as a striker, but felt cumbersome playing deeper, even though he was still willing to run.

Alonso wanted Martin Zubimendi to orchestrate the play, but his request was denied. He was forced to build a possession-based, positional play with players accustomed to quick transitions. It was a difficult problem.

More seriously, the relationship between the coach and Vinicius fractured after El Clasico, when the Brazilian striker showed his displeasure at being substituted. The subsequent apology "forgot" to mention Alonso, and Real also failed to defend the coach. At Bernabeu, without the backing of the club, the coach's authority began to waver.

The gaps on the field and in people's confidence.

The defeat against Celta Vigo revealed a harsh truth: the players didn't execute what they had prepared for. Alonso said the team needed to increase the tempo and press more aggressively, but nobody followed through. This is a warning that Ancelotti once gave: "Some things that are prepared during the week disappear once on the pitch."

The atmosphere in the dressing room after that defeat was chaotic. Shouting. Throwing of objects. Attempts to blame the referee were immediately rejected. The Real players didn't believe in the plan, or didn't believe enough to see it through.

Meanwhile, Real Madrid's attack has become a one-way problem: "If Mbappe doesn't score, nobody else will." Vinicius has gone 11 games without scoring, and Rodrygo has gone 33 games without a goal. Although Mbappe has scored 25 times in 21 games, this dependence is enough to stifle any tactical ideas.

In defense, constant injuries have disrupted the structure Alonso had painstakingly built. Twenty different starting lineups in 21 matches is evidence of a season stretched to its limits. Militao has just joined the list of players sidelined for 3-4 months.

Real Madrid's defense is in ruins.

Spanish media outlets are unanimously reporting that Alonso's future is in jeopardy. When the entire press receives the same message, it means it's coming from the top at Real Madrid, and also reflects dwindling support in the dressing room.

Nevertheless, Alonso still believed he had the power to turn things around. He realized he had to be more lenient with the players, to compromise, to appease, to make concessions. But each concession stripped away a layer of his philosophy, and the team drifted further away from the version he wanted to build.

Worse still, the fans, who were more patient than Perez, began to turn against him. They didn't see the pressing effort, the fighting spirit. They saw a Real Madrid that was no longer sure it was heading in the right direction.

The match against Manchester City in League Phase of the Champions League has now become a do-or-die situation. A victory would not only save Alonso, but also the football philosophy he pursues. A defeat could close the door he risked leaving Bayer Leverkusen to enter.

If Alonso leaves, Real Madrid will most likely call upon a familiar name again: Zidane. Or a younger option, Alvaro Arbeloa.

Alonso understands this harsh reality. In Madrid, you can go from heaven to hell in just one week. But it is precisely because of this that the place sometimes gives you the opportunity to write extraordinary stories.

This Wednesday, Alonso will have to fight to keep it, perhaps for the last time.

Source: https://znews.vn/alonso-tren-mep-vuc-real-madrid-post1609672.html