Xabi Alonso leaves Real Madrid job after just eight months in-charge: What went wrong for the Spanish maestro?
- Anweshan Ghosh
- Jan 15
- 3 min read
Xabi Alonso, one of the greatest midfielders to have played for Real Madrid, made a comeback to the club as a manager in June last year. Having won the Bundesliga with Bayer Leverkusen in their ‘invincible season’ created a lot of buzz around his arrival.
The Spaniard even started his campaign in a strong fashion, even winning his first El Clasico as a manager. However, everything went wrong for him in a span of a few months.
As per reports, Xabi had lost the dressing room completely, which prompted him to part ways with the club mutually. His conflict with Vinicius Jr earlier in the season broke the unity inside the dressing room.
A few reports also add that the former Bayer Leverkusen manager had no authority over the players, which played the key role in Alonso's departure.
On top of that, Sunday's defeat to rivals FC Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup final put the final nail in the coffin. Post-game, tensions rose between Kylian Mbappe and the boss when he urged his players to perform a guard of honour for the Barça players, but his team refused to do so upon the instructions of Mbappe.
Xabi felt the lack of authority as his players ignored him and made the difficult choice of stepping down as the manager of Real Madrid. This comes as a total shock to the whole fanbase, even the rival fans, as Alonso was doing quite well despite not getting enough signings in the summer.
Several players didn't like the boss for his style of football, as it required them to press and track back throughout ninety minutes. Therefore, it also played a major role behind his departure. Federico Valverde and Jude Bellingham also reportedly did not agree with his tactically rigid system.
The Spaniard leaves the club after having managed 34 games, winning 24, drawing 4, and losing 6 games. The club has appointed Castilla coach Alvaro Arbeloa as Xavi's replacement, citing that he knows the club well and would restore the club's DNA along with managing high-profile players.
Results did not Xabi Alonso quit; his lack of authority over his team did
Xabi Alonso left Real Madrid, but not because he lost the Spanish Super Cup final or because of his tactics. The Los Blancos parted ways with him because he lost the dressing room and had literally no authority over his team.
Alonso also was not satisfied with the club's performance in the summer transfer window, as he wished for the signing of Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad, prioritising the need of having a ball-holding midfielder to replace the vacant spot of Luka Modric.
In a big club like Real Madrid, where almost every player carries big egos, man management plays a key role, and it's important to have a good relationship with the players. However, the regular conflicts between Vinicius Jr and Alonso divided the squad, and it was quite visible.
During matches it was visible, as the players did not press as much as Xabi expected, and also the regular injuries dampened the squad’s overall morale. When they should've built on from the El Clasico win, they drifted into internal politics, and the whole situation has become a mess.
