After a very hard-fought 2-0 victory over Sevilla at the Bernabeu last Saturday, Xabi Alonso felt that his seat was more secure. Therefore, he can temporarily enjoy the Christmas holiday in true peace.
3 points against Sevilla is extremely important because if Real Madrid lose this match, it will be their 3rd consecutive home defeat, almost leading to dismissal. However, despite winning 3 consecutive matches in all competitions, the joy at the Bernabeu is still a luxury. Unless the team has to win many consecutive matches in the next round, everything is still not too bright.
In the past 2 months, Real Madrid's only truly convincing performance was a 3-0 victory over Athletic Bilbao on December 3. With the 5-point lead over Barcelona in early November narrowed to 4 points, fans have seen almost no signs of the modern, high-intensity football style that Xabi Alonso successfully applied at Bayer Leverkusen.
When he took over the team in May, Alonso promised to bring emotional football to please fans. However, up to now, that promise has not been or has not been fulfilled. Instead, the team's performance often reminds us of Carlo Ancelotti's lackluster and boring performances in the final stages of his tenure last season.
The clear difference between what Alonso has promised and what the team has done is the main reason why Perez has not shown any public support for the 44-year-old coach in recent weeks. Instead, the "Bo Gia" have repeatedly criticized those he considers the club's enemy, including the Spanish referees.
Alonso may understand that the balance of power at the club is not necessarily leaning towards him. After the scandal with Vinicius in El Clasico on October 26, president Perez seems to be on the Brazilian striker's side.
One of Real Madrid's most recent embarrassing performances was the narrow win over Talavera de la Reina in the Copa del Rey last Wednesday. That match saw a strong formation leading 2-0 in the first half against a team struggling at the bottom of Spain's Third Division. However, Alonso's side still needed an excellent save from goalkeeper Andriy Lunin in the final minutes to win 3-2.
After that match, TV channel El Chiringuito de Jugones aired a video of Real Madrid's bench in the tense final minutes. While Alonso was busy consulting with his assistants on the touchline, players like Vinicius Jr, Endrick and Franco Mastantuono laughed on the bench, seemingly delighted by the dire prospect.
At a press conference before the match against Sevilla last Friday, Alonso cleverly said that he had not seen that video. The 44-year-old coach tries to express a calm and controlling image. However, when asked by a reporter how he felt after such a difficult period, Alonso revealed some of his true feelings.
"I'm fine and I hope the reporters today are the same. In recent months, I have met more friends than family. Anyway, I am feeling good, motivated, full of energy and want to end 2025 with good results. This job will always be like that, you will make mistakes if you think that difficulties never come" - Alonso shared.
Real Madrid fans' views on who is primarily responsible for the team's current decline were clear on Saturday evening. Vinicius Jr was often scolded, especially when he was substituted in the 83rd minute. The Brazilian has now gone 14 games without scoring. During that bad time, he told the Perez boss that he would not extend his contract if his relationship with Alonso was not renewed.
Not only Vinicius, center back Dean Huijsen is another Real Madrid player who was booed by angry fans at the Bernabeu. The former Bournemouth youngster often lost the ball, giving Sevilla an advantage to conduct dangerous counter-attacks. When he first arrived at the Bernabeu, Huijsen performed quite well, but since returning from injury, he has always been worried and lack confidence.
With shortcomings in the squad, along with the reluctance of the big stars to follow the instructions, Alonso seems to have realized that turning Real Madrid into a powerful machine like Leverkusen is impossible.
