Xabi Alonso on verge of getting sacked at Real Madrid; Man City game his last chance: Report
Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso may lose his job on Thursday. Image: Reuters
Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso could be sacked on Thursday if his team fails to beat Manchester City at the Estadio Bernabeu in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday. Real Madrid are fifth in the UCL table, having won four and lost one match so far, and in the La Liga, the Los Blancos are four points behind league leaders Barcelona.
Madrid’s 2-0 loss to Celta Vigo at home has pushed Alonso to the brink. And according to ESPN and Marca, Real could sack the 44-year-old tactician if the team fails to do well against Man City.
Real planning to sack Alonso
An emergency meeting led by president Florentino Perez and his advisors was recently held at Real, where it was decided that if Alonso fails against City, then the club would let him go.
Alonso was hired at the start of the season after an impressive performance at Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga. The German club did the domestic double in the 2023-24 season without losing a game, as the club went on a 51-game unbeaten streak. But his performance at Madrid has been far from satisfactory as per the lofted standards at the Spanish giants.
Besides the lack of results, the club management is also not happy with Alonso having a poor relationship with senior players like Vinicius Junior.
Alonso seeks quick resurgence after Celta Vigo loss
Alonso’s words before the Man City gam dropped enough hints that the manager is well aware of the expectations.
“We need to turn the page as quickly as possible,” Alonso said on Monday. “There’s a long way to go in La Liga. And we have the Champions League match against City to react and get rid of this bad taste in our mouths."
While explaining the lack of results under him, Alonso said: “We’re struggling with injuries. It was hard for us to react,” added Alonso, whose side finished Sunday’s game with two red cards.
“It hurts, we’re angry, and we understand why people are angry."
Spanish media have also reported that players have lost faith in Alonso, but if they win against Man City, that should restore the management’s faith in their former player.