This was never going to last, was it? Xabi Alonso’s tenure at Real Madrid felt a little bit like Russell Brand and Katy Perry’s marriage: an disaster waiting to happen.
The ex-Real midfielder was arguably the most in vogue managerial option in European football when Real came knocking, having broken Bayern’s stranglehold on German football with his high-intensity Bayer Leverkusen side. Alonso was catnip for the hipster football fraternity, placing a massive emphasis on systems and tactical nous. By contrast, Spanish giants Real Madrid have historically been a club that defers to individual brilliance over tactical superiority. What could possibly go wrong? I just want to have a little look back at his ill-fated seven-month tenure to pinpoint where things went wrong for the Spaniard.
First impressions are everything
You could sense that things were awry when he took over during the Club World Cup in the United States. Alonso was put in a position where he had to take over the club much sooner than he anticipated. And it soon became evident that he wasn’t going to be able to persist with his beloved 3-4-3 formation, with injuries and personnel essentially forcing him to play a more traditional 4-3-3. He was rumoured to have been keen on acquiring Martin Zubimendi to gain a bit more control in the midfield area (presumably to play alongside Arda Guler). What he got was Alvaro Carreras and Dean Huijsen (neither of whom has covered themselves in glory thus far). In any event, reigning European champs PSG gave them a footballing lesson at the Club World Cup, signaling the start of the death-rattle amongst many Madridstas.
Managing injuries and expectations
Real actually enjoyed a solid start to their La Liga campaign. The highlight of his tenure came during his first Clasico, where they overcame an injury-ravaged Barcelona side to go five points clear of their eternal rivals (with nine wins from ten matches). And he managed to do all of this while negotiating injury devastation in his defensive ranks, with the likes of Militao, Rudiger and Carvajal facing extensive time on the sidelines. But even in his brightest moment, cracks began to show. Vini Jr hogged all the post-Clasico chatter after storming straight down the tunnel after being subbed off. There was an exchange of words, and you could just feel the simmering tension. Federico Valverde also expressed displeasure at being tasked with playing at right-back due to injuries. I mean, who does Alosno think he is? The manager? Just contrast that with the way that Declan Rice briefly filled in at right-back for the Gunners. But I digress.
A hard taskmaster
Elsewhere, rumours started to swirl that the Real players were not overly impressed with Alonso’s high-octane training regime. This is a squad of outrageously talented prima donnas who aren’t overly concerned with running themselves into the ground- there are fashion weeks to attend after all. That’s what made Carlo Ancelotti the ideal custodian for Real Madrid. A supreme man manager, Ancelotti was flexible and adapted according to the resources at his disposal. He also had the good sense to realize that the only true boss of Real Madrid is Florentino Perez. Ancelotti let the superstars be superstars, making minor alterations when necessary.
The Mbappe effect
After that Clasico win, things began to rapidly deteriorate. It was as if the public spat with Vini Jr revealed the malignancy festering beneath the surface. They lost to fellow European heavyweights Liverpool before a crippling run of three successive La Liga draws. They then enjoyed that chaotic 4-3 win at Olympiakos, where they contrived to drop points despite a four-goal haul from Kylian Mbappe. Speaking of which, Mbappe’s goal-scoring feats have been the one thing that kept Alonso’s head above water. Having said that, you get the feeling that Vini Jr and Rodrygo weren’t best pleased by the fact that they were relegated to bit-part status when the French forward was around. I don’t think that Alonso ever fully grasped that dynamic, naively thinking that these ludicrously well-paid professionals wouldn’t let such petty squabbles affect them. Real is a club that runs on ego and a successful manager needs to know how to placate them.
The final straw
Real’s 2-1 home defeat to Manchester City felt like a inflection point. Alonso would hold out for a few more months but that fateful night turned crowd sentiment firmly on its head. Losing at home to Guardiola- who is like a Bond villain to Madrid fans- was a bridge too far: he was a sitting suck from that point on. And it all came to a head during their recent Spanish Super Cup campaign. The writing was on the walls during their semifinal victory over a superior Atletico side. They were then outplayed for huge portions of the final against Barcelona, as Pedri and De Jong ran rings around the likes of Tchouameni and Camavinga (would have been nice to have a Zubimendi-type then). It gave Perez and co the final excuse to annul a marriage beset by irreconcilable differences. It’s little wonder that their new manager is Alvaro Arbreola, a prototypical yes-man who has graduated from Madrid’s B-team. I get the feeling that practices are going to be a bit more laissez- faire from this point on.
