Tensions are rising within Real Madrid in recent weeks, as doubts about coach Xabi Alonso have begun to surface from the club’s management. Press reports indicate that club president Florentino Pérez is no longer convinced of the coach’s ability to control the dressing room and manage a team full of stars and individual ambitions.
According to the Spanish newspaper “Sport”, Real Madrid’s 0-1 defeat to Liverpool, in addition to the players’ behavior in the Clasico match against Barcelona, has increased Pérez’s conviction that Alonso’s project is not going in the right direction so far.
The Spanish newspaper pointed out that the roots of this crisis date back to the period after the heavy defeat against Atlético Madrid at the “Metropolitano” stadium, where Pérez decided to put the two Clasico matches and the Liverpool match under the microscope to evaluate the new coach’s performance.
The newspaper stated that the failure at that stage gave the president an opportunity to blame those close to him who promoted the idea of a “modern Real Madrid” being built by Alonso, even though he was not the first choice to succeed Carlo Ancelotti, as he was only appointed after the German Jürgen Klopp refused to return to coaching.
Crises inside the dressing room
The newspaper confirmed that the events that took place in the Clasico increased Pérez’s conviction of Alonso’s limited ability to manage the dressing room, especially with the crisis of Vinícius Júnior, who expressed his strong anger after being substituted, even though Pérez had previously alerted the coach to the decline in the Brazilian player’s level.
The royal club decided not to punish Vinícius, leaving Alonso alone to face the situation, despite the player apologizing to his teammates without speaking directly to his coach.
“Sport” continued that this incident was not the only one, as tensions escalated after Fede Valverde’s statements about being used as a full-back, in addition to the poor handling of the young striker Endrick’s file, and the sudden substitution of Trent Alexander-Arnold in the Liverpool match 10 minutes before the end. These events revealed to Pérez the existence of a state of dissatisfaction among a number of players towards Alonso’s style of dealing.
No rotation, no high press
On the technical level, the team’s recent results have reinforced the president’s doubts about Alonso’s ability to develop the style of play. The Clasico match confirmed to Pérez that Real Madrid relies on stars without fundamental changes, as the team won with a starting lineup that included Mbappé, Vinícius, and Bellingham, and without rotation or high pressing as the coach had previously promised.
“Sport” saw that the team that defeated Barcelona under Flick was not much different from the version that Ancelotti supervised, as it relied on a strong midfield and a retreating defense, waiting for the opponent’s mistakes to launch counterattacks.
Pérez believes that this version is far from the “modern Real Madrid” that Alonso’s close associates talked about, citing his old saying: “Real Madrid trains itself, just put the best on the field and they will play alone.”
Physical fatigue and increasing anxiety
In addition to the technical problems, Pérez expressed concern about the decline in the team’s physical fitness, which is the problem that the team suffered from last season. Alonso brought in the innovative fitness coach Ismael Caminforte López, who used modern techniques at the “Valdebebas” center, but statistics showed that Real Madrid ran four kilometers less than Liverpool at “Anfield”.
The Spanish newspaper stated that Real Madrid players only make full effort in big matches such as the Clasico.
Wins like Ancelotti, loses like Mourinho
After the defeat at “Anfield”, Florentino Pérez came to more severe conclusions, as those close to him believe that “Alonso, when he wins, plays like Carlo Ancelotti, but when he loses, he acts like José Mourinho.”
The Spanish newspaper pointed out that Xabi Alonso’s statements after the match, when he said that “the match was decided by details,” were not well received in the management offices, which saw that he was trying to justify the weak performance in the old Mourinho style.
The newspaper explained that Pérez considered that 9 saves from Courtois were what saved the team from another heavy defeat, stressing that the performance in Liverpool was not befitting of Real Madrid. For him, the way the team won in the Clasico and lost in England proved that Alonso’s project lacks stability and identity.
Coach under pressure
Xabi Alonso is currently experiencing one of his most difficult periods with Real Madrid, as confidence in him has declined within the club and among the fans, at a time when those close to Pérez no longer show the same enthusiasm they showed when he was appointed.
“Sport” concluded its report by saying: “Despite all the pressure, what keeps Alonso in his position is that the phone of Jürgen Klopp, Pérez’s always preferred option, is still not receiving calls and diverting them to voicemail.”
