Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso confirmed reports that he has the backing of club president Florentino Pérez in a rare peak behind the curtain.
Alonso’s position at Madrid has, slightly ridiculously, come under scrutiny. The capital club remain top of La Liga and have lost just two of their 17 matches across all competitions this season—against city rivals Atlético Madrid and reigning Premier League champions Liverpool. However, anything other than rampant victories fall below the club’s lofty standards.
As Alonso’s predecessor Carlo Ancelotti once mused: “One thing I learned at Real Madrid is that a draw here is the prelude to a crisis. No jokes. You have to get used to that.”
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Madrid have drawn back-to-back matches after losing 1–0 to Liverpool at Anfield earlier this month. These results have been played to a backdrop of general unrest in the dressing room, with Vinicius Junior reportedly one of many to be unimpressed with Alonso’s style of management.
Vinicius Junior, Xabi Alonso
Vinicius Jr (left) is not seeing eye to eye with Alonso / Alvaro Medranda/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images
The Brazilian forward, who has displayed multiple examples of open dissent towards his manager, is now thought to be refusing to sign a new contract given his tense relationship with Alonso.
Despite the growing discontent, the club’s former midfielder is said to have the faith of president Pérez, which was first reported by AS. The same Spanish outlet directly asked Alonso about this conversation and had their claims confirmed while he was previewing Madrid’s Champions League clash with Olympiacos.
Xabi Alonso, Vinicius Junior
Xabi Alonso (left) and Vinicius Junior’s relationship has taken center stage at Real Madrid. / Carl Recine/Getty Images
William Shakespeare’s Othello was the greatest general in Venice, if not the world. His downfall was not down to tactics but personalities. Alonso faces the same perils.
When asked about the importance of managing his roster’s egos, Alonso admitted: “It’s as important as the footballing philosophy, the tactical work, the physical work.
“Managing personalities, getting the best out of the players, making them feel as good as possible. It’s a process that has different ups and downs, which you have to know how to handle well, in any team and especially at Real Madrid.”
Vinicius is hardly the only player thought to be unsatisfied with the former Bayer Leverkusen manager. Previous reports this season have claimed that unnamed “big stars” are “frustrated,” “disrespected and dissatisfied” with Alonso, who is described as “distant and unapproachable.” Many reportedly delivered the same damning verdict: “He thinks he’s Pep Guardiola.”
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“I’ve worked with great players and personalities, who are demanding,” Alonso said of Madrid’s dressing room. “Their reactions help them to be as good as they are. That’s the luck of being at Madrid, you have players of this calibre. You have to be connected with them.”
Alonso would not be drawn on whether he had been specifically undermined by his glut of stars. “You have to have a lot of respect for the players and the groups, and how they prepare. I don’t want to and I’m not going to talk about that,” he warned.
“I know what the dressing room is like, the moments you have to go through and live with the external noise. We try to manage it and talk about it, these are situations that happen at this club and we mustn’t let them make us lose focus.”
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