Real Madrid, Benfica’s opponents in the UEFA Champions League, is going through one of the most turbulent phases in recent years, combining disappointing results in LaLiga with a growing internal conflict that exposes structural weaknesses in the project led by Xabi Alonso. The 0-2 defeat against Celta, at the Santiago Bernabéu, described by As as a setback that takes away the meringues to four points behind leaders Barcelona and confirms the loss of six of the last 15 points, it was just the most recent chapter in a crisis that was already brewing.
The game ended with a chaotic scene: three expulsions — Fran García, Álvaro Carreras and Endrick — and a boiling locker room, with bottles and medical supplies thrown around, according to the same newspaper. Xabi Alonso, defeated and isolated, did not even enter the locker room after the final whistle, postponing the conversation with the group until the following training session.
However, the problems go far beyond the result and the lack of emotional control. As also detailed by the daily Marca, everything started to fall apart the day Vinícius Júnior publicly exploded when he was replaced in the The Classic. From that moment on, the club decided not to intervene and left the management of the case in the hands of the coach — an absence of institutional support that weakened Xabi Alonso and marked the beginning of the collapse of the authority that had led him to 13 victories in the first 14 games of the season. This start, supported by a collective, intense football idea supported by high pressure, represented the promise of a more modern and recognizable Real Madrid, inspired by models such as Arteta’s Arsenal.
Xabi Alonso arrived at the club with a clear plan: to build a supportive and vertical team, based on the figure of Kylian Mbappé, surrounded by players available to run and press. To do this, he broke with historical hierarchies and confronted big names. Vinícius and Bellingham were subjected to unprecedented defensive demands and, in the case of the Brazilian, several trips to the bench. On the other hand, young people like Mastantuono, Arda Guler or Brahim gained space due to their ability to execute tactics and collective commitment. Real Madrid had become solid, competitive and disciplined — even if lackluster — and everything seemed in line with the project.
Meanwhile, internal resistance grew. As Marca reported, several important players began to challenge the coach’s tactical approach, excessive video and methodological rigidity. Installed a cold war. Vinícius became the visible face of dissatisfaction and, when he exploded in the classic against Barcelona, the club’s silence — without any punishment — left Xabi exposed, isolated and, in practice, without the ability to impose his model. From then on, the wear and tear became evident: Real Madrid stopped pressing like before, the young players disappeared from the eleven and the stars were once again untouchable. Xabi Alonso went from builder of ideas to manager of egos, precisely the role he didn’t want to play.
The defeat against Celta, described by As as an episode of “anger and frustration” within the locker room, exposed the fracture. There were players who blamed the referee for the expulsions, but one of the squad leaders reacted harshly: «That’s a shitty excuse. We are losing the League.” It is the portrait of a divided group, of a coach who lost support and of a project that fell apart in front of everyone.
Today, as Marca concludes, Real Madrid is once again a team without an identity, far from the ideal that Xabi Alonso sought to implement. The Basque coach, who arrived to transform the dressing room and impose a modern model, now finds himself trapped between his convictions and the weight of a powerful dressing room, which won the internal battle. With Guardiola’s Manchester City at the door and a list of injuries that affects the entire defensive line, the club faces an end of the year full of doubts — and with its project more fragile than ever.
O The World advances that the main people responsible for the emblem merengue they met urgently late into the night to decide the future of the coach hired in the summer from Bayer Leverkusen. The newspaper writes that at the meeting, which lasted until after one in the morning, the coach’s dismissal was on the table in the clearest and most direct way of the season», but, despite differing opinions, the decision to keep the coach ended up prevailing. He also adds that Real Madrid is already keeping an eye on possible replacements and, among the favorites, are the names of Zinedine Zidane and Jürgen Klopp.
Related reading
