IF SOME media reports in Spain were to be believed, Real Madrid boss Xabi Alonso needed a positive result against Man City at the Bernabeu to save his job.
Against the odds, it began relatively well. Rodrygo opened the scoring with a clinical finish, which was remarkably the Brazilian’s first goal at club level since March.
But it was as good as it got for the hosts.
The manner in which they let City back into the game was a sign of a beleaguered team.
Thibaut Courtois is considered one of the world’s best goalkeepers, but he was at fault for the equaliser.
The Belgian stopper could only parry Josko Gvardiol’s header into the path of Nico O’Reilly, who prodded the ball home.
The manner in which they conceded the second was also avoidable.
Antonio Rudiger blatantly hauled Erling Haaland to the ground as a ball was delivered into the area, and the referee had no option but to point to the spot after consulting VAR.
The manner in which Madrid collapsed was a sign of a team lacking confidence and unsure of itself.
They had a couple of chances to equalise in the second half. But City deserved the three points, and Alonso’s men had Courtois to thank for the winning margin not being bigger, as the Belgian partially atoned for his earlier error with a couple of important saves.
How everything has unravelled for Alonso has been as dramatic as it was swift.
The 44-year-old coach, who previously impressed at Bayer Leverkusen, where he guided the club to their first Bundesliga title ever, has struggled in recent weeks.
It actually began well, with the manager winning 10 of his opening 11 La Liga matches.
But even his best moment — the 2-1 victory over Barcelona — was marred by an unsavoury incident.
Vinicius Jr had a remarkable outburst after being substituted in the Clásico, as he was caught on camera shouting: ”Me? Coach? It’s always me! I’d better leave!”
The player subsequently issued a public apology but neglected to mention Alonso in his statement.
It was an ominous sign of what was to come.
Madrid followed the Barcelona defeat with a routine 4-0 victory at home against Valencia.
But they have followed that result with just one win in five La Liga games, and two from eight in all competitions.
The problems with the team were evident against City.
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The midfield of Jude Bellingham, Dani Ceballos and Aurélien Tchouaméni offers plenty in the way of physicality and dynamism.
But they don’t have a midfielder with the creativity and footballing intelligence to control a game.
In this regard, they have never found a satisfactory replacement since the departures of club legends Luka Modric and Toni Kroos.
Xabi Alonso issues instructions to Jude Bellingham. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
The defence is also an issue. Tonight, they were missing the likes of Dani Carvajal, Trent Alexander-Arnold, David Alaba, Éder Militão, Dean Huijsen and Ferland Mendy.
Centre-back pairing Rudiger and Raúl Asencio were unconvincing, while Federico Valverde was, not for the first time, required to play right-back, despite midfield being his favoured position.
In attack, Rodrygo and Vinicius impressed only in patches, while they started with Gonzalo García up top. The 21-year-old has no goals from 16 La Liga appearances, yet there was no sign of Kylian Mbappe — the French superstar has been struggling with injury, which is presumably why he was kept on the bench.
Mbappe’s absence was palpable, as Madrid are hugely reliant on the ex-PSG forward, who has scored 25 goals this season. The only other players who have found the net more than once are Vinicius (5), Bellingham (4), Arda Güler (3) and Camavinga (2).
Alonso tried to change things in the second half – Güler was brought on to offer more creativity, and Bellingham was pushed into a more attacking midfield role, and they did finish strongly. However, it was not enough to avoid defeat. Endrick, the 19-year-old attacker, who has barely played since Alonso’s arrival, was also introduced late on, and that gamble nearly paid off, as he saw an effort hit the upright.
Given their aforementioned limitations, it was no surprise Madrid came out second best, even though they were playing at home against a far from vintage Man City side that had similarly flattered to deceive at times this season.
Club president Florentino Perez notoriously has little patience for poor results.
It is also no coincidence that Madrid’s most successful managers since the turn of the century at least — Zinedine Zidane and Carlo Ancelotti spring to mind — have tended to be those who have adapted to the considerable player power at the club rather than the other way around.
Alonso, like other more visionary managers in the past, may not be in a job much longer, as he struggles to change the culture and identity that has long existed with a more modern and innovative approach.
Other idiosyncratic coaches like Rafa Benitez, Julen Lopetegui, Fabio Capello, Manuel Pellegrini, Guus Hiddink and Jupp Heynckes have tended to have short lifespans at the helm.
Many of those managers have had success before and after Madrid, and it would be no surprise to see Alonso restore his reputation elsewhere.
The Liverpool job probably shares some similarities with Real in the sense that there is also no shortage of egotistical stars at Anfield.
Tuesday’s Champions League win over Inter Milan has eased some of the pressure on under-fire Reds boss Arne Slot, but if Premier League results continue to go awry, it is hard to see the Dutchman lasting much longer.
Should that situation transpire, former Liverpool player Alonso would appear a natural fit to return to the club.
It wouldn’t be easy to turn it around, but he would likely have more control of the situation than at Madrid, where players’ performances suggest patience is wearing thin amid a history of the boardroom siding with the disillusioned squad rather than the embattled manager.
“It’s a difficult moment for us and for (Alonso) as well. Things aren’t going well… we wanted to show people we’re together with the coach,” said Rodrygo after tonight’s loss, while Asencio added: “The dressing room is with Xabi Alonso.”
The home supporters’ reaction also told a story as the final whistle was met with a hostile reception.
The fact that Madrid are only four points off table toppers Barcelona and still on course to qualify for the Champions League knockout stages will be seen as virtually irrelevant, such are the extraordinary demands at the Bernabeu, where the coach is always just a couple of dire results away from the sack.
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Liverpool-bound? Xabi Alonso's days at Real Madrid look numbered
IF SOME media reports in Spain were to be believed, Real Madrid boss Xabi Alonso needed a positive result against Man City at the Bernabeu to save his job.
Against the odds, it began relatively well. Rodrygo opened the scoring with a clinical finish, which was remarkably the Brazilian’s first goal at club level since March.
But it was as good as it got for the hosts.
The manner in which they let City back into the game was a sign of a beleaguered team.
Thibaut Courtois is considered one of the world’s best goalkeepers, but he was at fault for the equaliser.
The Belgian stopper could only parry Josko Gvardiol’s header into the path of Nico O’Reilly, who prodded the ball home.
The manner in which they conceded the second was also avoidable.
Antonio Rudiger blatantly hauled Erling Haaland to the ground as a ball was delivered into the area, and the referee had no option but to point to the spot after consulting VAR.
The manner in which Madrid collapsed was a sign of a team lacking confidence and unsure of itself.
They had a couple of chances to equalise in the second half. But City deserved the three points, and Alonso’s men had Courtois to thank for the winning margin not being bigger, as the Belgian partially atoned for his earlier error with a couple of important saves.
How everything has unravelled for Alonso has been as dramatic as it was swift.
The 44-year-old coach, who previously impressed at Bayer Leverkusen, where he guided the club to their first Bundesliga title ever, has struggled in recent weeks.
It actually began well, with the manager winning 10 of his opening 11 La Liga matches.
But even his best moment — the 2-1 victory over Barcelona — was marred by an unsavoury incident.
Vinicius Jr had a remarkable outburst after being substituted in the Clásico, as he was caught on camera shouting: ”Me? Coach? It’s always me! I’d better leave!”
The player subsequently issued a public apology but neglected to mention Alonso in his statement.
It was an ominous sign of what was to come.
Madrid followed the Barcelona defeat with a routine 4-0 victory at home against Valencia.
But they have followed that result with just one win in five La Liga games, and two from eight in all competitions.
The problems with the team were evident against City.
The midfield of Jude Bellingham, Dani Ceballos and Aurélien Tchouaméni offers plenty in the way of physicality and dynamism.
But they don’t have a midfielder with the creativity and footballing intelligence to control a game.
In this regard, they have never found a satisfactory replacement since the departures of club legends Luka Modric and Toni Kroos.
The defence is also an issue. Tonight, they were missing the likes of Dani Carvajal, Trent Alexander-Arnold, David Alaba, Éder Militão, Dean Huijsen and Ferland Mendy.
Centre-back pairing Rudiger and Raúl Asencio were unconvincing, while Federico Valverde was, not for the first time, required to play right-back, despite midfield being his favoured position.
In attack, Rodrygo and Vinicius impressed only in patches, while they started with Gonzalo García up top. The 21-year-old has no goals from 16 La Liga appearances, yet there was no sign of Kylian Mbappe — the French superstar has been struggling with injury, which is presumably why he was kept on the bench.
Mbappe’s absence was palpable, as Madrid are hugely reliant on the ex-PSG forward, who has scored 25 goals this season. The only other players who have found the net more than once are Vinicius (5), Bellingham (4), Arda Güler (3) and Camavinga (2).
Alonso tried to change things in the second half – Güler was brought on to offer more creativity, and Bellingham was pushed into a more attacking midfield role, and they did finish strongly. However, it was not enough to avoid defeat. Endrick, the 19-year-old attacker, who has barely played since Alonso’s arrival, was also introduced late on, and that gamble nearly paid off, as he saw an effort hit the upright.
Given their aforementioned limitations, it was no surprise Madrid came out second best, even though they were playing at home against a far from vintage Man City side that had similarly flattered to deceive at times this season.
Club president Florentino Perez notoriously has little patience for poor results.
It is also no coincidence that Madrid’s most successful managers since the turn of the century at least — Zinedine Zidane and Carlo Ancelotti spring to mind — have tended to be those who have adapted to the considerable player power at the club rather than the other way around.
Alonso, like other more visionary managers in the past, may not be in a job much longer, as he struggles to change the culture and identity that has long existed with a more modern and innovative approach.
Other idiosyncratic coaches like Rafa Benitez, Julen Lopetegui, Fabio Capello, Manuel Pellegrini, Guus Hiddink and Jupp Heynckes have tended to have short lifespans at the helm.
Many of those managers have had success before and after Madrid, and it would be no surprise to see Alonso restore his reputation elsewhere.
The Liverpool job probably shares some similarities with Real in the sense that there is also no shortage of egotistical stars at Anfield.
Tuesday’s Champions League win over Inter Milan has eased some of the pressure on under-fire Reds boss Arne Slot, but if Premier League results continue to go awry, it is hard to see the Dutchman lasting much longer.
Should that situation transpire, former Liverpool player Alonso would appear a natural fit to return to the club.
It wouldn’t be easy to turn it around, but he would likely have more control of the situation than at Madrid, where players’ performances suggest patience is wearing thin amid a history of the boardroom siding with the disillusioned squad rather than the embattled manager.
“It’s a difficult moment for us and for (Alonso) as well. Things aren’t going well… we wanted to show people we’re together with the coach,” said Rodrygo after tonight’s loss, while Asencio added: “The dressing room is with Xabi Alonso.”
The home supporters’ reaction also told a story as the final whistle was met with a hostile reception.
The fact that Madrid are only four points off table toppers Barcelona and still on course to qualify for the Champions League knockout stages will be seen as virtually irrelevant, such are the extraordinary demands at the Bernabeu, where the coach is always just a couple of dire results away from the sack.
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Soccer talking point Liverpool Manchester City Real Madrid Xabi Alonso