In this round La Liga, nine-man Real Madrid lost 0-2 to Celta at home.
Since Real Madrid only secured 2 wins in their last 7 matches, Xabi Alonso’s situation has completely changed. He has not received any support and has tense relationships with three of the club’s key players, including Vinícius Júnior, Jude Bellingham, and Federico Valverde.
In the upcoming UEFA Champions League fixture, Real Madrid’s clash against Manchester City will be a do-or-die crucial match for Alonso. Currently, the management style and tactical arrangements adopted by Alonso have sparked numerous doubts within the team.
Previously, Real Madrid lost 0-2 to Celta Vigo at home. After the game, Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez quickly held an emergency meeting with board members, with the core agenda focusing on discussing the future of head coach Xabi Alonso. The board members unanimously agreed that the team’s current form is extremely worrying. In the league, Real Madrid is already 4 points behind Barcelona, and they have only claimed one win in their last five league games—results that are simply unacceptable to the board.
This week’s Champions League match between Real Madrid and Manchester City will serve as a make-or-break game that determines Alonso’s fate, with the result regarded as a key turning point. If Alonso ultimately leaves his post, the current candidates being considered to replace him include Zinedine Zidane and current Castilla coach Álvaro Arbeloa.
During this emergency meeting, the board also conducted in-depth discussions on the serious problems existing in the team’s dressing room. The board members are very dissatisfied with the current squad management, specifically mentioning that Vinícius Júnior’s contract renewal negotiations have stalled, and that Jude Bellingham and Federico Valverde have experienced a decline in form recently.
Players at Real Madrid generally express that it is difficult to understand the tactical arrangements made by Alonso and his coaching staff. Additionally, some within the club believe that Alonso’s recent attitude towards players has been overly lenient, which has led to doubts about his authority in management. Today’s Real Madrid lacks unifying leaders in the dressing room—such as past key figures like Luka Modrić, Lucas Vázquez, and Dani Carvajal.
