The stance of Real Madrid’s players when it comes to the future of boss Xabi Alonso has become abundantly clear, following rumours that the Bernabeu boss is facing being sacked.
Following three games without a win across all competitions, there was a lot of noise surrounding the future of Alonso, with rumours of an unhappy dressing room doing the rounds.
Amidst all the talk of crisis, Real Madrid managed to get back to winning ways in the Champions League on Wednesday evening with a narrow 4-3 win over Olympiacos in Athens, relieving some pressure on Alonso as a result.
And, despite those rumours of players not being aligned with Alonso, the message was very clear coming out of the must-win Olympiacos clash.
Indeed, the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Eduardo Camavinga and Aurelien Tchouameni, who spoke to the media after the match, delivered a clear message of unity in the face of criticism and of support for the coach and his entire staff.
Speaking via Mundo Deportivo, Mbappe said: “We have to protect the players, the coach and everyone in the squad because, at the end of the day, we’re all in this together.”
The match in Greece also helped Alonso build some bridges with two top stars with whom things had turned frosty in the first few months of his tenure, namely Federico Valverde and Vinicius Jr.
The Uruguayan, who is Real’s vice captain, chose to close ranks through a message on his social media in which he wrote: “After a week of many things being said, we are more united than ever. Having Vini and Mbappe is luck, but having the best team in the world committed is an honour.”
For his part, Vinicius, who has been heavily linked with a Real Madrid exit, did not speak publicly. He did, however, make a clear gesture of reconciliation towards Alonso, with a long embrace between the two at the end of the match.
The Brazilian, who most recently has been linked with a switch to Manchester City, appears to have done a U-turn when it comes to his thoughts on Alonso.
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Real Madrid standing by Alonso – for now
Speaking ahead of the Olympiacos, a report from Marca, the number one source for Real Madrid scoops with close ties with the club’s hierarchy, made it very clear how Real feel about Alonso’s future at the club.
The report noted: “Real Madrid are clear that Xabi Alonso is the leader of the project, above the players, however important they may be to the club both on and off the pitch.”
The feeling in Spain, however, is that Real are only ever a couple of negative results away from a crisis and that unless Alonso can fully steady the ship, then there will always be rumours surrounding his future.
One rumour that has been dismissed, though, is a potential return to Liverpool to replace the under-pressure Arne Slot.
Next up for Real, however, is a trip to Girona on Sunday as they look to halt a run of successive draws in LaLiga.
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Latest Real Madrid news: Massive Konate snub; Man Utd raid
First up, Real have emphatically informed Liverpool they have zero interest in signing Ibrahima Konate, and two sources have shed light on what happens next for the out-of-contract star.
Elsewhere, Manchester United are planning an ambitious raid on Real Madrid for one of their best players who is reportedly not happy under manager Xabi Alonso, according to a report in the Spanish media, but TEAMtalk has analysed why he is very unlikely to move to Old Trafford.
And finally, Leeds United will be wise to give up on their ambitious pursuit of Real Madrid striker Gonzalo Garcia, with a second and reliable source revealing the final decision that Los Blancos manager Xabi Alonso has made on the youngster.