Last Sunday evening in Jeddah (Saudi Arabia), Xabi Alonso also talked about the future. Real Madrid just lost to Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup final, missed the opportunity to win the first title of the season, and the Spanish coach wants to quickly "turn the page".
We must continue to move forward as soon as possible. This is the least important tournament among the tournaments we participate in. Now we must move forward, help the injured players regain their form and spirit, and then continue" - Alonso said.
Real Madrid is indeed "going up" this week, but no longer Alonso. Less than 24 hours after the 2-3 defeat to their arch-rival, the club issued a notice that he has left the coaching (coach) position.
A short announcement released on Monday stated: "According to a mutual agreement between the club and Xabi Alonso, we have decided to end his time as head coach of the first team.
Only 233 days after being appointed, Alonso - a legend of Real Madrid during his playing career and one of the most highly rated young coaches in the world - had to leave. On Monday evening this week, his coaching staff began to pack up at the Valdebebas center. The successor was also confirmed. That is an old teammate, Alonso's best friend, and also the coach of the Castilla team, Alvaro Arbeloa.
At the time Alonso left, it was actually a sacking, not a general agreement as declared by Los Blancos. However, within Real Madrid, doubts about Alonso have accumulated for months. Sources close to both Alonso and the dressing room said that those doubts originated from the highest floor, from President Florentino Perez.
The problem is not just the defeat to Barcelona in the Super Cup. Not just the falls in the Champions League against Manchester City and Liverpool. Not just the 0-2 home defeat to Celta Vigo in La Liga, or the unacceptable 2-5 heavy defeat in the derby against Atletico Madrid. And Vinicius Junior's public angry reaction when being substituted in El Clasico in October - if viewed retrospectively - is even more like a milestone signaling a rift.
In fact, right from the summer of last year, questions have emerged within Real both at the executive level and in the squad about some aspects of Alonso's management. As the results and performance declined, those questions became harsher, and the relationship between Alonso and some key players also deteriorated.
According to Spanish media, Alonso felt shaken by the lack of support. He has tried to adapt, heal and rebuild relations, and there are certain signs of improvement, although very limited. However, for Real Madrid's leadership, that is still not enough.
Alonso left Real Madrid with many layers of overwhelming disappointment. Disappointment with the level of contribution of some key players, disappointment because, unlike the period at Bayer Leverkusen, he did not have enough space to fully implement professional ideas. And also disappointment with himself, when believing that he could handle some situations differently.
According to sources, many problems have hindered the development of the Royal team. Alonso believes that some players have not really taken proper care of themselves, even expressed concerns related to nutrition. Besides, he is also concerned about the situation of information leaked from the dressing room to the media. This is a feeling that some players supporting him in the squad also shared.
Sources close to Alonso also mentioned a small group of players with a voice inside, often opposing and not willing to accept his ideas. The 3 names mentioned are influential players: Vinicius, Jude Bellingham and Federico Valverde.
