Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso has made a concerted effort to stop leaks making their way into the media from the dressing room. So far those efforts have been unsuccessful.
One of the things that Alonso has been keen to create a Real Madrid is a watertight dressing room, with internal details kept private, and stories about the club in the media at a bare minimum. However the latest report from The Athletic has claimed that the Basque manager has struggled to do so.
Alonso’s first test failed by dressing room
Alonso confirmed earlier this week that his side would be training ahead of their match against Liverpool at Valdebebas rather than Anfield in order to avoid tactical details leaking out. It is something that has been a focus of his since arriving, and before the Club World Cup semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain, Alonso trusted the players with the line-up ahead of time.
This was regarded by the coaching staff as a first test for the players, which was not passed. More than 24 hours before the match, it was reported in the press that Gonzalo Garcia Torres would be starting. Ahead of the Liverpool tie, it was again leaked out that Alonso would be using the same line-up as in El Clasico.
Mastantuono is set for a spell on the sidelines.
Image via Marca
Alonso’s measures against leaks
Part of his efforts to do so have seen the number of staff allowed on the training ground for first team sessions, and asking the players to take an active role in preventing selection decisions from leaking out. He has the support of the club in his attempts to do so.
“Xabi has been there and knows perfectly well where leaks are most likely to come from. It’s important that this is controlled on a day-to-day basis,” an internal source is quoted by The Athletic.
It comes after a series of reports that some of Real Madrid’s players are unhappy with Alonso’s management, feeling that the Basque manager lacks empathy. One of the focuses of these leaks has been Vinicius Junior, and this week it was suggested that President Florentino Perez is willing to part with him, after growing frustrations with his behaviour.