Trouble may be brewing at Real Madrid, with Los Blancos’ dressing room said to be divided when it comes to head coach Xabi Alonso and the methods that he has introduced since taking the reins in the Spanish capital. Precious points have been dropped over recent weeks, leading to uncomfortable questions being asked of those underperforming on and off the field.
Precious points: Real have slipped from La Liga summit
Real’s latest setback came in a 1-1 draw with relegation-threatened Girona. They have been held in their last three La Liga fixtures – having also failed to emerge victorious against Rayo Vallecano and Elche – and now trail Clasico rivals Barcelona by one point in another intriguing title race.
Alonso’s side have played four successive games away from home in all competitions – battling to a 4-3 victory over Olympiacos in the Champions League – since their Santiago Bernabeu home played host to an NFL fixture on November 16.
Travel sickness appears to have set in, with reporting on a “certain division of opinion in the dressing room” following a run of forgettable results and performances. That is not considered to be terminal just yet, with no “significant impact on the relationship between the players” being seen.
AdvertisementGettyWho is to blame? Finger pointing at the Bernabeu
Alonso has, however, found himself under scrutiny for some time. It was revealed back in October that his “personal approach and some of his footballing concepts had not gone down well with a significant number of the first team” in Madrid.
It is claimed that a meeting has taken place at the Bernabeu which saw Alonso and his players attempt to get to the bottom of any supposed issues. First-team stars such as Kylian Mbappe, Federico Valverde and Eduardo Camavinga have attempted to quash talk of their being rifts in the Real camp.
claims that there is “currently a mix of players who remain unconvinced about Alonso’s methods and others who argue that the manager is not to blame”. Someone that falls into the latter of those two camps has said: “This is not the coach’s problem, it’s very obvious.”
Another source at the Bernabeu has said: “The problem is not Xabi. Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and (Jude) Bellingham are incompatible; you can’t have a balanced team with those three.” It is said that Alonso’s messages are “not getting through to the players”, leading to disjointed displays.
Alonso challenges: Tricky tests for Blancos boss
Others inside the coaching team have acknowledged the difficulty that Alonso faces when it comes to “changing the dynamic” that he inherited from predecessor Carlo Ancelotti. There is seemingly no quick fix to the problems that he faces.
With that in mind, the former Blancos midfielder is not under immediate pressure when it comes to his job. It is, however, being reported that upcoming clashes – starting with another away game at Athletic Club on Wednesday – are “important not just in terms of results, but in terms of image”.
An insider has conceded that things look “very difficult” at the moment because Real are “playing very badly”, with that stalemate on the road at struggling Girona being viewed as a “disaster”.
GettyRight man for the job? Alonso must prove his worth
That does not bode well for Alonso, who has only taken in 25 games at the helm – winning 18 of those matches and coming unstuck in only three. He was brought back to Madrid after impressing as a coach in Germany with Bayer Leverkusen, whom he led to an unbeaten Bundesliga title triumph in 2023-24.
Some prominent figures there questioned his approach on the back of a return to Spain, with success not enough to keep everybody happy. Similar discussions are now taking place at the Bernabeu.
Alonso still has plenty of time in which to get things right this season – having already overseen a win over Barcelona – and has enough talent at his disposal in order to deliver major silverware. Mbappe, Bellingham, Vinicius and Co must, however, buy into his vision in order for collective triumphs to be enjoyed.