In this round La Liga, nine-man Real Madrid lost 0-2 to Celta at home.Amid internal and external troubles, the conflicts erupted completely.
The day Vinícius erupted publicly at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium under the watchful eyes of everyone, Xabi Alonso’s team-building plan collapsed completely. As the club decided not to intervene and left everything to the head coach, Alonso—having lost the support of the top management—began to lose his authority and the team traits that had helped him achieve 13 wins in 14 games. The rift left by the victory over Barcelona not only failed to heal but intensified.
Xabi Alonso joined the club with a clear mission: to build a team with a distinct style, modernized and with a clear identity. Real Madrid’s top brass had long grown tired of the ever-conciliatory approach of Carlo Ancelotti or Zinedine Zidane. After years of moderate management and an unshakable seniority hierarchy within the team, the club wanted to give itself a chance by betting on a "more modern" (internal club term) new-generation coach—someone who could show the way like Mikel Arteta at Arsenal. The Basque coach had led the team to a stunning performance in the spring, and although this model had rarely succeeded in Real Madrid’s history, everyone at the Bernabéu knew this was exactly what the team needed.
Having transformed Bayer Leverkusen into a championship-winning side and nurtured unknown players into world-class stars, Xabi Alonso accepted this challenge loyal to his philosophy. He came not to adapt to the dressing room, but to reform it.
A Clear Plan from Day One
From the moment he took office, Xabi Alonso had a clear vision of the team he wanted to build, which was soon demonstrated at the Club World Cup. Alonso advocated for a tactically versatile team capable of mastering multiple systems, but with an unshakable cornerstone: high press and teamwork. To this end, the top priority was to build the team around Kylian Mbappé, surrounding him with dedicated players. Alonso was smart—he clung tightly to the world’s best player, ending the ambiguous attitude Ancelotti had shown a year earlier.
While relying on Kylian, he also sent a direct message to Vinícius: to play, he had to run. The Brazilian star spent more time on the bench than ever before, remaining a substitute on multiple occasions. Yet Real Madrid did not fall apart; instead, they started winning. Due to a shoulder operation, Jude Bellingham missed the early games of the season, which also fostered a more equal and selfless atmosphere on the pitch, with Arda Güler becoming the team’s attacking reference point.
The start was brilliant. Real Madrid achieved 13 wins in 14 games, one of the best starts in the club’s history. The play may not have been glamorous, but the team was solid, competitive and reliable, showing absolute dominance. During that period, names like Lucas Mastantuono, Brahim Díaz or Rodrygo frequently appeared in the starting lineup. In particular, the young Argentine became a key piece under Alonso with his ability to press in the final third, tackle and maintain team intensity. Although the River Plate prodigy’s emergence was questioned due to his finishing ability, Alonso valued his hunger and absolute obedience in executing high presses and tracking back. Mastantuono was a warrior and a role model—exactly what Alonso needed in his early coaching tenure.
However, as results flourished, a considerable number of players in the dressing room began to harbor dissatisfaction. Core players such as Vinícius, Bellingham or Federico Valverde showed resistance to the head coach’s methods. News started leaking from the dressing room: too many video analysis sessions, overly intensive tactical training, and excessively high demands on tactical execution. It was a classic "cold war" between the players and the coaching staff.
Dressing Room Cold War and the Breaking Point of El Clásico
Vinícius was the figurehead of this conflict. He refused to accept a secondary role, rejected the defensive tasks imposed by Alonso, and could not tolerate being substituted frequently. The message from the head coach was clear and consistent with his team-building plan, but the dressing room began to push in the opposite direction.
Everything fell apart on the day of El Clásico. With 20 minutes left in the game, Vinícius—substituted by Alonso—erupted publicly. That reaction marked a sharp turn for the worse. The club decided not to directly intervene in this disciplinary violation, leaving full authority to handle it to the head coach, putting Alonso in a helpless situation. In the end, no punishment was imposed. At that moment, Alonso lost the battle.
Since that day, except for a few games such as against Valencia or at San Mamés (Athletic Club’s home stadium), Real Madrid has been on a downward spiral. The team no longer presses as before, Brahim or Mastantuono (even after returning from injury) have disappeared from the starting lineup, Vinícius and Bellingham have become "untouchable", and Valverde rarely ventures to the flanks... This is no coincidence. After El Clásico, Alonso was no longer the head coach, but became the role he least wanted to be—a "manager" (peacemaker) of the stars’ egos.
From Head Coach to "Manager"
Alonso’s original intention was the opposite: he wanted a team where everyone runs, regardless of fame or status. That’s why he was tough on Vinícius and Bellingham initially. His purpose was not punishment, but education—guiding them to change their previous style of play and making them understand that to play for his Real Madrid, they had to run. Of course, Alonso wanted to use Vinícius and Bellingham; he clearly regarded them as world-class superstars, but he hoped they would commit to a common philosophy. He chose to be a tough, perhaps empathetically lacking coach, but had to compromise midway for the sake of dressing room peace. Now, the football-related problems are obvious.
Undoubtedly, the players won this war. After losing the club’s support on the day Vinícius erupted, Alonso lost his power. Today, his fate lies in the hands of the dressing room, not his own tactical manual. Although some of his decisions in the team-building plan were somewhat tough, it was originally reasonable and consistent, but now it has been diluted to nothing through repeated concessions.
Real Madrid has once again become a team lacking a clear style, and Xabi Alonso has become a head coach trapped between his own ideals and an uncontrollable reality.
