Is Man City pushing Alonso out?

The threat of Xabi Alonso losing his job before the season’s midpoint is becoming increasingly evident. Is Pep Guardiola’s Man City the club that will push the turmoil at the Bernabeu to its most ruthless finale?

Within a span of five weeks, Real Madrid dropped from the top spot with a 5-point lead over Barcelona to trailing by 4 points. Alonso’s team has managed just one victory in their last five La Liga games, which has made the Real Madrid board restless.

Huge pressure mounts on Alonso

What is the root of the problems for the coach born in 1981 after only five months in charge? He faces the immense pressure of reshaping the football culture at the Bernabeu. This task has never been easy for any manager. Just ask Jurgen Klopp during his Liverpool days, Luis Enrique at PSG, or Mikel Arteta at Arsenal — none are immune to the pressures and criticism that come with trying to build a team identity.

Alonso’s challenge is that everyone is accustomed to a Real Madrid that has succeeded for 15 years by focusing on star players, who sometimes wield more influence than the coach himself. Former CEO Jorge Valdano sees this as a major issue for Real Madrid, as reflected in their recent loss to Celta Vigo: “Real Madrid needs to show determination on the pitch, and that responsibility lies with the players. But I was surprised that after the midweek win against Bilbao, the team failed to show that against Celta Vigo and took too long to wake up.” Valdano implied that Real Madrid’s spirit only improved after falling behind by a goal and playing with ten men, yet even that was not enough for Alonso’s team to avoid a chaotic defeat.

Alonso’s predecessors, Zinedine Zidane and Carlo Ancelotti, achieved success by compromising and managing the egos of Real Madrid’s stars. Alonso refuses to follow that approach, and his strict discipline and organization have made his position more precarious than ever. Under Alonso, Real Madrid struggles with ball control and easily loses cohesion when pressing. This is largely because many players do not fully understand their roles, causing the system to malfunction. Beyond tactical doubts, Alonso faces criticism for poor personnel management, with dissenting figures like Bellingham, Kylian Mbappe, and especially Vinicius appearing in the locker room. The Brazilian forward is in conflict with Alonso and is currently enduring an 11-match goal drought.