Former Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso faces a huge task as a coach to get Real Madrid back on track
Xabi Alonso, head coach of Real Madrid, looks on
Real Madrid head coach Xabi Alonso continues to be linked with Liverpool
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Liverpool would be a 'great' club for Xabi Alonso to coach, says Brazilian legend Rivaldo, who in truth hopes the Spaniard survives a challenging period to continue as the boss of Real Madrid. Reports from Spain have suggested a rift between Alonso and his players, who between themselves have won two out of their last six matches.
That mixed run of form began with a 1-0 defeat to the Reds at Anfield in the Champions League at the start of November. With Real Madrid's next outing in the same competition at home to Manchester City, rumours would hint defeat would spell the end of Alonso's tenure after just seven months in charge.
Liverpool head coach Arne Slot has found himself under similar pressure due to results in recent months and were the job on Merseyside to become readily available, Alonso would have Rivaldo's backing.
"I hope Xabi Alonso stays at Real Madrid. He’s a great manager and did an excellent job in Germany. But if he leaves, going to Liverpool is a great option," the 2002 World Cup winner told Betfair.
"He knows the club, he played there. That makes things easier. You leave one big club for another big one."
Rivaldo warned: "However, to be in a club as a player is one thing, as a coach is another.
"He’s already shown he can be a great coach. There will always be pressure, he had it as a player and will have it as a manager. But he’ll have structure and good players, so there’s no reason to worry. He just needs to work with different personalities.
"Overall, I hope he stays at Real Madrid and proves his quality. For that, he needs to bring the group on his side."
And as it stands, Slot still holds power at Liverpool. The Dutchman delivered a 1-0 victory over Inter Milan at San Siro on Tuesday night, strengthening his position ahead of the next Premier League match against Brighton at Anfield on Sunday.
The Reds boss heaped praise onto his players after the final whistle in Italy for their 'great mentality' to fight until the latter stages to secure a victory. In turn, players such as Dominik Szoboszlai and Andy Robertson came out in support of their coach.
Rivaldo painted quite a different picture of Real Madrid in challenging times.
"Something is happening between the players and the coach at Real Madrid. Alonso needs authority, but he also needs to be friends with the players, especially the stars: Vinicius Junior and Mbappe to name two. He needs to bring them close. When he tries to be too authoritarian, players get upset.
"No one wants to lose on purpose, but the environment gets bad. You can see the environment at Real Madrid is not good.
"He needs to bring those big players back to his side. [Pep] Guardiola has always done that very well. That’s what Xabi Alonso is missing: getting the key players close. Not fighting over small things, not substituting players all the time.
"When the environment is bad that’s when rumours appear around players wanting to leave, like Vinicius. Not because of Real Madrid, but the environment. I think there’s a lack of dialogue."
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