Xabi Alonso's tenure as Real Madrid manager ended abruptly in a flurry of controversy, just seven months into his job. The 11th manager in two decades to leave the club under president Florentino Pérez, Alonso had taken over at the Club World Cup and was forced to put his stamp on the team sooner than he intended.
Initially presented as a systems coach, Alonso's vision for the team clashed with the existing culture of the club. He wanted a collective approach, where players ran together without distinction, but this idea proved difficult to implement, especially given the egos of some high-profile players like Vinícius Júnior and Kylian Mbappé.
Alonso had hoped to create a cohesive unit, but the team's performances were inconsistent, with several defeats and draws, including a humiliating loss to Celta Vigo. The squad was also plagued by injuries, particularly in defence.
Despite his best efforts, Alonso struggled to connect with some of his players, including Vinícius Júnior, who eventually walked out on him in frustration. When asked for advice from Pep Guardiola before the Super Cup final, Alonso had said that he should "do it your way," but ultimately, this approach was not enough to win over his team.
The timing of his sacking caught many by surprise, even if the underlying issues were clear for all to see. With Madrid leading the league table just four points ahead of Barcelona before their defeat in the Super Cup final, Alonso's dismissal seemed like a sudden and drastic measure.
In reality, however, things had been going downhill quickly for Alonso. Despite some encouraging performances, including a narrow win over Liverpool, his team struggled with consistency and discipline, particularly on the pitch.
As one former doctor who worked under Ancelotti but was not part of Alonso's staff said, "the club's criticism about the physical preparation filtered out through familiar channels." The final straw came when Alonso resisted integrating Antonio Pintus, a fitness coach who had been brought back into the fold but had previously clashed with Ancelotti.
Alonso's departure has raised questions about whether he was too ambitious or too inexperienced for the role. While his ideas were intriguing, and he seemed to genuinely want to bring a new sense of unity to the team, the club ultimately decided that his approach was not working.
With Álvaro Arbeloa succeeding him, there are now expectations of a more traditional, win-at-all-costs approach, as Arbeloa said in his own statement: "The project at Madrid is to win, win, win and win again."
As for Alonso, he will always be remembered as one of the many high-profile managers who failed to control the egos at Real Madrid. His departure marks another chapter in the club's ongoing struggle with its identity and purpose.
Initially presented as a systems coach, Alonso's vision for the team clashed with the existing culture of the club. He wanted a collective approach, where players ran together without distinction, but this idea proved difficult to implement, especially given the egos of some high-profile players like Vinícius Júnior and Kylian Mbappé.
Alonso had hoped to create a cohesive unit, but the team's performances were inconsistent, with several defeats and draws, including a humiliating loss to Celta Vigo. The squad was also plagued by injuries, particularly in defence.
Despite his best efforts, Alonso struggled to connect with some of his players, including Vinícius Júnior, who eventually walked out on him in frustration. When asked for advice from Pep Guardiola before the Super Cup final, Alonso had said that he should "do it your way," but ultimately, this approach was not enough to win over his team.
The timing of his sacking caught many by surprise, even if the underlying issues were clear for all to see. With Madrid leading the league table just four points ahead of Barcelona before their defeat in the Super Cup final, Alonso's dismissal seemed like a sudden and drastic measure.
In reality, however, things had been going downhill quickly for Alonso. Despite some encouraging performances, including a narrow win over Liverpool, his team struggled with consistency and discipline, particularly on the pitch.
As one former doctor who worked under Ancelotti but was not part of Alonso's staff said, "the club's criticism about the physical preparation filtered out through familiar channels." The final straw came when Alonso resisted integrating Antonio Pintus, a fitness coach who had been brought back into the fold but had previously clashed with Ancelotti.
Alonso's departure has raised questions about whether he was too ambitious or too inexperienced for the role. While his ideas were intriguing, and he seemed to genuinely want to bring a new sense of unity to the team, the club ultimately decided that his approach was not working.
With Álvaro Arbeloa succeeding him, there are now expectations of a more traditional, win-at-all-costs approach, as Arbeloa said in his own statement: "The project at Madrid is to win, win, win and win again."
As for Alonso, he will always be remembered as one of the many high-profile managers who failed to control the egos at Real Madrid. His departure marks another chapter in the club's ongoing struggle with its identity and purpose.
, 7 months is not that long to get the team's dynamics sorted out 
! Alonso was definitely trying something new, but did he have a clear plan B? It sounds like some of those players were just being super diva about it 
. I'm not saying he was a bad manager or anything, but maybe he should've been more flexible 
. And what's with this win-at-all-costs approach now? Can't they just find a balance between winning and developing the team? 
, you know how some farmers still use them? it's amazing how much they've evolved over time. I mean, Alonso was trying to bring some innovation to Real Madrid, but sometimes progress is hard when you're dealing with legacy players and egos.
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I mean, can you blame them? It was bound to happen eventually 
. Alonso came in with all these lofty ideas about teamwork and whatnot, but the egos at that club are just too big to swallow 
. And honestly, who wouldn't want a win-at-all-costs approach under Álvaro Arbeloa? At least that's what the fans want to hear 
. Alonso just got caught in between being liked by the players and doing what's best for the team 
. Poor guy didn't stand a chance 
The team's inconsistency was a major issue, and injuries didn't help.
Real Madrid needs someone who can manage those egos and get the team working together, not just some idealistic manager trying to make it work.
. The drama around him was always there, but you'd think it would take longer to figure out that his way wasn't working 
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. Just a few wins and some decent performances, but then it all fell apart 
. And that final straw when he resisted integrating the fitness coach who had already been at odds with Ancelotti? Yeah, that's like adding fuel to the fire 
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? And Alonso? He's still got a lot to prove in his managerial career 
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. And yeah, the physical prep thing was a major problem - I've heard that from multiple sources too 
. Maybe he'll bounce back in another role, who knows? 
Vinícius Júnior and Kylian Mbappé having another fit-titude crisis 
The Real Madrid clock is ticking... towards another managerial casualty 
. First Ancelotti leaves, then Solari departs, and now Alonso bites the dust 
. It's like he's got this death wish for his coaching staff 
, but it seemed like Pérez just didn't want anyone to stand out too much 
. Vinícius Júnior and Mbappé are like superstars who deserve to be celebrated, not stifled by rigid tactics 
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The egos of Vinícius Júnior and Mbappé were just the tip of the iceberg 
Alonso wanted unity, but Madrid's star players weren't having it 
️ His approach was intriguing, but lacked discipline 
or will it continue to chew its own tail 
Alonso seemed like a cool guy who wanted to do things differently, but I guess the old "win-at-all-costs" approach is always gonna win out in the end 
. It'll be interesting to see how Álvaro Arbeloa does as the new manager – hope he can bring some stability to the team! 
The team's injuries were a huge problem too - how many times can they say "injuries" before it becomes a cliché? 
Alonso might've been too ambitious for the role, but I think he was onto something with that collective approach 
. Guess you can't win 'em all 
i hope he can bring some stability and success to the team but it's gonna be tough with the pressure from the fans and the club
which feels kinda boring after Alonso's vision 
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