Real Madrid loses again, this time against Manchester City. Coach Xabi Alonso apparently has to worry about his job. At least there are words of praise from the team for the former Bayer Leverkusen championship coach. But the doubts are getting stronger.
Was that it for Xabi Alonso at Real Madrid? Only two wins from eight competitive games put the “Royal” coach in a lot of trouble.
The 2-1 defeat against Manchester City in the Champions League on Wednesday evening may have been the former world-class midfielder’s last game after just under half a year. Whether Alonso will sit on Real’s bench in the away game against Deportivo Alaves in the Primera División on Sunday (9 p.m., in the WELT sports ticker) is more open than ever. The game against City was sometimes called the final.
When asked if he was worried about his future, Alonso, according to media sources, replied: “I’m worried about our next game. The important thing here is Real Madrid. It’s about the team, about the players and how I can help them. It’s not about me.”
At least there was support from the Real players. Jude Bellingham made it clear that the team is behind Leverkusen’s 2024 champion coach. “The coach is great. I personally have a very good relationship with him and I know a lot of boys feel the same way,” said England’s star midfielder.
And Brazilian striker Rodrygo said: “It’s a difficult moment for him too. Things aren’t working out. I wanted to show people that we stand behind our coach. I know there’s always a lot of talk. We need that unity to keep going.” The players were visibly trying not to further fuel the discussion about their coach.
“We’re not a dead team,” says Real Madrid goalkeeper Courtois
Thibaut Courtois also commented. The goalkeeper said: “It’s normal for people to talk when you’re going through a crisis, but today we showed we’re not a dead team. It was a different performance to the weekend.”
In the Champions League clash against Manchester City, the Spanish record champions played well without the ailing world-class striker Kylian Mbappé. “They were significantly better than us at times in the first half,” acknowledged City coach Pep Guardiola. Rodrygo deservedly scored to make it 1-0, after which the Madrilenians missed the second goal. “There is little to criticize about the team,” said Alonso.
The newspaper Marca wrote: “It’s not a night of farewell. Real Madrid’s defeat against Manchester City was not a game to blame Xabi Alonso or talk about hasty dismissals.” And in “AS” it says: “More desire than happiness. The doubt remains: it is difficult to say whether Real Madrid is doomed or just in hibernation.”
Nico O’Reilly and superstar Erling Haaland, who converted a penalty given to him by German international Antonio Rüdiger to make it 2-1, turned the game around before the break. After that, Real couldn’t get going anymore. Apart from a header from substitute Endrick, there were few opportunities for Madrid.
“We are self-critical, but we have to keep believing in ourselves, keep working and trust that the difficult times will pass,” said Alonso. He has only been Real coach since last summer.
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