“Real Madrid are already planning an Xabi Alonso replacement…” After the Barcelona Fc Defeat, THREE TOP MANAGERS are reportedly on the shortlist
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The information shared in this article stems from multiple confidential conversations with various sources within Madrid, all of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity to safeguard their professional relationships.
What’s dominating conversations at Real Madrid right now?
Unsurprisingly, it’s the devastating defeat to Barcelona in the Supercopa de Espana final.
This loss represented Real Madrid’s fifth defeat in their last six Clasico encounters and marked the third consecutive time they’ve fallen short in a final against their fiercest rivals.
In the aftermath of Sunday’s 3-2 defeat, opinion within the club has become deeply divided, with viewpoints ranging from those who minimize the setback to those adopting a far more self-critical approach.
The first faction, which includes several influential board members, believes the final was incredibly balanced and could easily have gone either way. They particularly emphasize the severe injury crisis that hampered Xabi Alonso’s preparations, pointing to the absence of both first-choice right-backs (Dani Carvajal and Trent Alexander-Arnold), their two starting centre-backs (Eder Militao and Antonio Rudiger), and the fact that star forward Kylian Mbappe could only make a cameo appearance in the 76th minute after struggling with a knee injury.
The opposing camp, however, argues that the recent improvements under Alonso simply aren’t sufficient, and they view the direction of his inaugural season with genuine concern.
So where does Alonso stand now?
Despite last night’s failure to secure the season’s first trophy, there has been no serious discussion about dismissing Alonso from his position.
The Athletic reported back in December that Madrid’s board remained committed to keeping Alonso, who took charge in May, for as long as results reasonably permitted. From the leadership’s perspective, simply avoiding a humiliating, lopsided defeat to Barcelona was enough justification for the former Madrid, Liverpool and Spain midfielder to retain his position.
This surprisingly low bar has caused considerable shock and frustration among those close to the playing squad, who feel deeply unhappy about both the team’s public image and their actual performances on the pitch.
“Has Real Madrid’s ambition really been reduced to simply avoiding a thrashing?” one source with close ties to the players questioned when speaking to The Athletic.
Even behind the scenes, there’s significant disagreement about where responsibility should lie for Madrid’s underwhelming displays this season. Many believe that changing the head coach mid-campaign wouldn’t actually solve the underlying problems.
Meanwhile, Alonso’s coaching staff remain optimistic, emphasizing that the players’ commitment and attitude have noticeably improved, as has their understanding and execution of the manager’s tactical vision. They also point to several unfortunate moments from last night’s match, including two golden late chances that Alvaro Carreras and Raul Asencio squandered, and the sheer luck involved in Raphinha’s winning goal, which came after he slipped while taking his shot.
They firmly believe that welcoming back their injured stars will be crucial in continuing the development and refinement of Alonso’s preferred style of play at Madrid.
