BarcelonaNo sign of the “unstoppable force” Xabi Alonso said he would turn Real Madrid into on the day he was unveiled as the brand new white manager. Despite never having the full confidence of Florentino Pérez, neither when he was hired nor the numerous disputes with Vinicius that the Basque coach has had so far, from the most direct environment of the all-powerful white president there are those who point out that he to suggest that he opted for a more methodical coach. This meant changing the paradigm of recent years, where the Real Madrid players had had great coaches, but less interventionists and more managers, such as Carlo Ancelotti, with whom the team completely lost the north last season, or Zinedine Zidane.
In fact, the former French footballer and apple of Florentino’s eyes is one of the names that has been put on the table by the specialized press in Madrid as a relief on the bench. The other great candidate is the coach of the subsidiary, and also former white player, Álvaro Arbeloa who, at the same time, maintains a great relationship with Alonso. After conceding two defeats in just four days at the Santiago Bernabéu, the first on Sunday against Celta (0-2) with the stadium whistling, and the second against City (1-2) this Wednesday, the coach is on a tightrope. For now, he saves his neck because the Whites cleaned up their image against the English team, despite losing again.
Alonso’s arrival on the bench was sold to the sound of hype and silverware with a three-year contract. Purely cosmetic and that, in just a handful of months, is being questioned. The Basque coach asked for a center half, a position that is a big Achilles heel for the Real Madrid players after the retirement of Toni Kroos two seasons ago. Florentino did not allow Alonso to strengthen a position that continues to make water and where bets on how to convert Ardar Güler as a center half are making water and, in fact, the Turk was a substitute against City. Economic arguments never convinced the coach because, on the other hand, a footballer like Franco Mastantuono was signed in exchange for 45 million euros. Yes, they granted him the arrival of Álvaro Carreras in the left lane.
Other factors such as the injuries to the right-back, both to Dani Carvajal and Trent Alexander-Arnold, have also shaken a dressing room in which the players have too much control: Valverde, converted to emergency full-back, has bluntly complained about having to play in this position. The famous Saraus with Vinicius have already been mentioned: particularly significant was the day Alonso replaced him in the 72nd minute of the classic against Barça. Against City he recovered Rodrygo, who had not scored a goal in white for more than nine months. The Brazilian celebrated by hugging the coach. All in all, only Kylian Mbappé, with extraordinary figures (25 goals in 21 games) has made a dent in Real Madrid’s constant turmoil.
Just a prestige win
Despite losing against City, Alonso gained an extra life because his team battled until the end. But the shortcomings of the project, if there is any kind of project at all, are still very visible. At the beginning of his time, the results saved him, now they are no longer with him, although he is second in the League four points behind Barça and still has options to finish in the top eight in the Champions League. This – and recovering against City part of the decadent image against Celta – allows Alonso to stay on the bench.
In the big games, however, the white team has only saved the furniture against Barça (2-1). The rest, all defeats: PSG handed him a thrashing (4-0) in the Club World Cup; Atlético de Madrid hammered him (5-2); a Liverpool in the middle of a crisis also overcame him (1-0) and City, without performing any miracles in the match, also denied them the victory (1-2). In the League, three consecutive draws against inferior rivals resulted in a bad streak that the team disguised with a thrashing (0-3) at San Mamés, but which was soon forgotten by the pharaonic defeat against Celta. The technician, for now, is holding on to the chair.
