The pressure is firmly on Xabi Alonso following Real Madrid’s 0-2 defeat to Celta Vigo at the Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday night.
Just when it seemed like the team had turned a corner after beating Athletic Club, talks of crisis are back and the manager’s future seemingly hangs by a thread, with reports of a locker room rift once again gaining weight.
High-level meeting held over Alonso’s future
According to El Mundo, after the loss to Celta Vigo the highest ranking officials at Real Madrid held a meeting that lasted several hours in the club offices to decide whether Alonso should continue in his post.
Real Madrid have collected only one win in their last five league matches and have gone from leading the competition by five points over Barcelona to trailing their main rival by four. All of this has happened in little more than a month.
The defeat against Celta, combined with the team’s poor attitude, chaotic final minutes and the style of play throughout the night, have left Alonso in a critical position.
The meeting, which continued well past one in the morning, ended with one clear conclusion: the match against Manchester City is Alonso’s final chance.
The dismissal of the Basque coach was already on the table. A week ago, before the match against Athletic Club, internal conversations referred to a seven-day, three-match final exam, counting the matches vs Athletic Club, Celta, and Man City.
Zinedine Zidane, Manager of Real Madrid greets Jurgen Klopp, Manager of Liverpool
Zidane and Klopp – candidates to replace Alonso. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
So far, it is one win and one defeat, but the collapse against the Galician side triggered frustration among several senior figures, who wanted to dismiss Alonso immediately, before the match against Pep Guardiola’s team, on Sunday night itself.
In the end, and after differing views within the club hierarchy, the decision was taken to keep Xabi until Wednesday.
Replacements being sounded out already
In fact, the report further states that Real Madrid are already examining the coaching market to find his replacement. Two names top the list – Zinedine Zidane and Jurgen Klopp.
Zidane has had two successful stints at the club, is someone that is well-respected in the locker room, and knows the club intimately. Currently waiting to take over the French national team, a return could be on the cards for the Real Madrid legend.
As for Klopp, after leaving Liverpool last year, he is now operating as Head of Football for the Red Bull group. So, whether he would consider returning to management remains to be seen.
What seems to be clear is that the club have already begun sounding out the coaching market, with full awareness that a large part of the dressing room is against Alonso, a situation that cannot be sustained at a team like Real Madrid.