Real Madrid's arduous but meaningful 2-1 victory over Alaves should have been a necessary mental medicine for coach Xabi Alonso during a period of great pressure. With only 2 wins in the last 8 matches - one in La Liga and one in the UEFA Champions League - the patience of Real Madrid's leadership and fans is almost at the limit.
The match at Mendizorroza witnessed many encouraging bright spots. Kylian Mbappe's return with the 26th goal in 22 matches, the decisive combination between Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo after a lackluster period, along with the impressive debut of 19-year-old left-back Victor Valdepenas. All of this comes as Real Madrid are in a serious squad crisis, with up to nine first-team players absent due to injury or suspension.
However, for Madrid, a simple win is not enough. Those positive signals still cannot completely ease the wave of skepticism surrounding the Bernabeu, where the pressure on Alonso is constantly increasing.
Before the challenging away trip to Basque, the Spanish media seemed to have been "pumped" with too much information that just one victory was not enough for Alonso to keep his seat. Therefore, the general reaction after Real Madrid's win was cold, almost "nothing to say", especially around the poor quality of play in the second half.
To be fair, most sports media channels have recorded positive signals, such as the new connection between the under pressure coach and Vinicius - a player who was once considered a "riot". In addition, Alonso partly revived Rodrygo, who scored in 2 consecutive matches. However, on the press side, the wave of dissatisfaction with Los Blancos' unconvincing playing style is still present, showing no signs of cooling down.
The conditions for Alonso to stay in the coaching position, although never publicly confirmed by President Florentino Perez, are in fact very clear. With just a stumble against third-tier Talavera in the King's Cup, a disappointing result at home to Sevilla, or a poor performance against Real Betis after the winter break, Alonso will almost certainly not be present in the Spanish Super Cup in Saudi Arabia from 7 to 11.
And it was at that tournament that the line between heaven and hell was waiting. If Alonso - who has won many titles in his playing career and made history with the first Bundesliga championship for Bayer Leverkusen - can beat Atletico Madrid in the semi-finals, then beat Barcelona or Athletic Bilbao in the final, he will likely be given the necessary stability to work until the end of the season.
Conversely, if he returns empty-handed, without a title, Alonso's seat will almost certainly be withdrawn.
These are harsh to cruel conditions, especially when Alonso is struggling in a serious injury crisis. Eder Militao, Dani Carvajal, David Alaba, Eduardo Camavinga, Ferland Mendy and Trent Alexander-Arnold are all absent, while Alvaro Carreras and Fran Garcia are suspended. In that context, he was still required to make an ego-filled, stubborn team not only win but also play beautiful and overwhelming football.
But that is Alonso's problem. Real Madrid's problem is even more profound. And so, there is no guarantee that sacking a coach who only took over from the team at the end of last season will really be the right solution to the current crisis.
