Xabi Alonso tells Real Madrid job is ‘impossible’ if they don’t make crucial change

Real Madrid have dismissed Xabi Alonso as manager, making the Basque manager the first coach to leave during the season in seven years, since Santiago Solari was replaced by Zinedine Zidane. Los Blancos have named Castilla manager Alvaro Arbeloa their new senior coach.

Already names are being suggested as potential long-term replacements. Arbeloa was asked if his job was permanent or on an interim basis, a question he was unable to give a decisive response to.

Alonso’s job was in danger for the past month since losses to Celta Vigo and Manchester City in December, but after defeat in the Spanish Supercup to Barcelona, decided a run of five straight wins were not enough to save his job.

Xabi Alonso gives Real Madrid advice on departure

On Monday morning, Alonso was called to the Valdebebas training ground to discuss the Supercup defeat, and it was put to him that perhaps the best solution was for Alonso to leave the club. It seems the decision was made by Los Blancos, but Alonso did not fight his case any further. Cadena SER explain that Alonso has some parting advice for the Real Madrid hierarchy before he left though.

Alonso told the club that ‘they cannot give so much power to the players’, feeling that it was the biggest factor in his downfall. The ex-Bayer Leverkusen manager explained that club’s constant defence of the players and the dressing room undermined him, and told the club that it was impossible for him to have authority in the dressing room when the club sided with the stars on the pitch time and again, even when he was in the right.

Alonso’s turbulent relationship with the dressing room

There were a number of flashpoints with Real Madrid’s stars, with Fede Valverde publicly declaring he was not keen to play right-back, and Vinicius Junior shouting at him as he was brought off in El Clasico. The final nail in the coffin appeared to come in the Supercup, when the players followed Kylian Mbappe down the tunnel rather than giving Barcelona a guard of honour.

These incidents occurred with a background rumble of discontent from the dressing room. Although it appeared relations had improved over the last two months, it was not sufficient to cause improvement on the pitch.

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