Even a win might not save him: miracle manager faces shock sacking

At the end of May, on his first day at work, he announced: "This is the beginning of a new era." The goals? Exclusively top-tier. "I want a team that radiates emotions and energy, plays ambitiously, and creates a connection with the fans." Barely six months later, all of this seems like castles in the air, and the supposed era is threatened with ending before the year is out.

A team? According to Spanish newspapers, Real Madrid is split into two camps. Radiating emotions and energy? The aggression during substitutions is currently greater for some stars than in their tackles.

Playing ambitiously? Despite an ultimatum from President Florentino Pérez ("Something has to change here, and solutions must come immediately"), the Royals struggled to scrape out two narrow victories against Alaves and third-division team Talavera after a 0-2 defeat against Celta Vigo. Previously, they suffered a 1-2 home defeat against Manchester City in the Champions League. By the middle of the second half, there were whistles from the stands, so much for the connection with the fans.

Xabi Alonso is said to be responsible for the gloomy situation around the Bernabéu. Pérez practically introduced him as the new messiah: "You are one of the best coaches in the world." This man is supposed to have quickly become an interchangeable coach of a team that only half supports him and feels constrained by his methods. How did this happen?

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In Leverkusen, the former playmaker made a name for himself as a tactical genius, giving his team a clear plan and leading them to success. This is what they wished for at the time in the Spanish capital. After years of success, performances under Carlo Ancelotti's leadership became more inconsistent. His leniency with players—reportedly turning a blind eye to lateness, according to Dani Carvajal—was suddenly seen as a leadership weakness and fatigue in office.

"Xabi is stricter, more disciplined," Carvajal noted in early September on the radio show 'El Partidazo de COPE' about the changed leadership style under his former teammate. This reportedly quickly rubbed some stars the wrong way, especially Vinícius Jr. 'BBC' expert Guillem Balague reported that the Brazilian and his coach clashed during the Club World Cup because Alonso told the winger before the match against PSG that he would not be in the starting lineup. The game was subsequently lost 0-4.

It is clear that his substitutions increasingly became a political issue. The media climax followed in the Clásico at the end of October. Vinicius Jr. left the field in a rage, not even glancing at Alonso. Both quickly assured after the game that such things can happen in the heat of passion. However, the public damage to the Real coach's authority was significant. 

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In Leverkusen, this would never have happened, emphasized Bayer boss Fernando Carro recently on 'Sky': "If the president believes that a coach is a necessary evil, if the coach is left alone and always the one to take the criticism, then the situation is very different from in Leverkusen, where we all pulled together and did not leave the coach alone."

Following this assessment, 'Marca' reported after Real's 3-2 cup victory against Talavera that Patron Pérez and his distinguished colleagues concluded that the path with Alonso "leads nowhere." A victory against FC Sevilla this weekend is therefore a must. However, for Alonso's job security in Madrid, that might still be too little. If the 44-year-old truly wants to turn things around, he needs not only a win but, according to Spanish media, also a spectacle. Otherwise, the new era is allegedly already over after just half a year.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.

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