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Graham Hunter
with real Madrid over the La Liga And comfortably entered the important top eight positions uefa champions league before their midweek match OlympiacosThere should be absolutely no possibility of their manager Xabi Alonso being in a precarious position.
But, sadly, this is the most political, most unforgiving club in the world of football and so, there is that. And he will know that he is.
Imminent job loss? No,not at all. But there are wolves at the door and someone in their club is either encouraging them, or allowing them to growl.
in sunday 2-2 draw on promoted elcheMadrid were outclassed, Madrid went behind twice on goals from youth products (alex febas And alvaro rodriguez) and even if late, we equalized, thanks to A Jude Bellingham goal that should not have been allowed Vinicius JuniorFoul on Elche keeper iñaki penaThis was enough to enrage many Madrid watchers in the media,
This was partly because it meant three matches without a win (liverpool In the Champions League, rayo vallecano and now Eder Sarabia’s courageous and domestically well-coached Elche team), partly because Alonso’s team is not exactly playing solidly and, inevitably, partly because barcelona Madrid’s neck down.
For the fiercest critics, it’s a flammable element to add to this tinder-dry mix that Alonso has analyzed in (mostly) highly optimistic and positive terms. The recently turned 44 is absolutely right in saying this: he is a work in progress, there are some positives and, especially on Sunday, los blancos Fought bravely to ensure that they did not lose.
In this (almost) midterm summary of where he stands, that element of fighting spirit is not unimportant. Partly because, at the moment, there aren’t a lot of things to get excited about.
But, beyond those three poor results, Alonso needs to be appropriately concerned ahead of Wednesday’s test in Athens – at least concerned about how he is viewed and what messages he has been receiving from the media over the past few weeks.
There is a consistent phrase among all his critics in the written and broadcast media: either he is experiencing “alienation” from his players or he is failing to explain to them what he wants from them strategically.
To give you an example: Tomás Roncero works for the sports paper Diario AS and some broadcast outlets, radio and TV. Not only is he famous, he is famously a Real Madrid supporter. He would have considered himself a self-proclaimed fanatic of the club – beyond a cheerleader, as he was certainly kept in the loop by senior sources, but “a fan with a typewriter,” as the saying went.
On Sunday night, when Bellingham’s goal left the league leaders in an inglorious tie, Roncero was asked how concerned he was on a scale of 1-10.
“Four o’clock… because I want to believe that Alonso will turn things around. My point is, I’m not sure he’s connecting with the players, because if he Isit would be terrible to see them so Indifferent and unenthusiastic. He has shown his strength only when he has been pushed into a corner.
“I want to believe that at some point Xabi Alonso will rejoin them, which I don’t think he is doing right now. But If What happened today was repeated on Wednesday in Athens and Montelivi (vs.). girona, Stream live Sunday at 3PM ET on ESPN+), then it would be 9.5 out of 10, not four.”
If you’re not connected to Madrid media, or if you don’t speak Spanish, take my word for it: it’s not just the general tone of what’s happening on the radio and TV, it’s a really friendly side.
A series of headlines in Marca (the best-selling written publication in Spain) included “Madrid is suffering!” Plus “Madrid has forgotten how to win!” Or, most threateningly, “That performance ‘damages’ Alonso!” and “Alonso is starting to lose control of this!”
The elephant in the room is the relationship between Vinicius Junior And alonso. When he was sent off against Barcelona brazil The international reaction was met with outrage and he was quoted as shouting: “That’s why I’m leaving the club.”
Once the heat from that incident subsided, a few days ago, José Félix Díaz published a story on the front page, and backed it up with a long personal article inside Diario AS, writing: “Renewing Vinicius’ contract is an absolute must – everything.”
A quiet message to Vinicius, his representatives and the fans, but a very clear order towards Alonso who, at that stage, had deployed one of his biggest superstars for 904 of a possible 1,235 league minutes and 270 of a possible 380 Champions League minutes. So when Vinicius was ruled out for Sunday’s match at Elche, and then not brought on until 57 minutes, you’ll understand why eyebrows were raised everywhere around the club.
There is no doubt that Alonso, a shrewd man, would have made his team and tactical selections (federico valverde was also placed on the bench, with three returning at left back and wingback for good coaching reasons). But even if they knew Vinicius needed complete rest and recovery before facing Olympiacos, they would have known that leaving the Brazilian on the bench, especially if a win was not achieved, would automatically be seen by many as a sign of defiance and independence.
The fact that “misunderstandings,” “distrust” and “lack of connection” between Alonso and some of his players are being repeatedly diagnosed in the media is striking, given how widespread and unchallenged it is. Sure Arising from one or more of the following: clubs, training grounds, players’ agents or being authorized by large power brokers. It is incomprehensible that so many people who make their living covering Madrid are writing or broadcasting their stuff without any encouragement or even a blink of an eye.
1:37
Can Real Madrid really replace Xabi Alonso this season?
LaLiga and Real Madrid correspondent Alex Kirkland provides an update on the growing tension in the Real Madrid dressing room between Xabi Alonso and Vinicius Junior.
As Madrid prepare for their match in the Greek capital against a Spanish coach Jose Luis Mendilibar has dropped points los blancos For Real Valladolid, Eibar and OsasunaSome things are moving in the background.
Madrid’s preseasons, last summer and the year before, were woefully inadequate and Alonso’s team are suffering the hangover from them. And their long unbeaten streak and historic double-winning season bayer leverkusen He has been prepared for huge over-expectations.
Just a few weeks ago, I interviewed Alonso for UEFA. He was very clear that having a specific idea about how he wanted his Madrid team to play would be of no use if he could not explain it and convince his new players adequately. He is not a fanatic or a fool.
There is a documentary coming soon featuring his former Spain teammates (not automatically ones you would expect to warm to) who reveal that, at Leverkusen, Alonso was tactically flexible, he had plans A, B and C. In fact, I spent several hours last week with another of Alonso’s World Cup-winning teammates, who was full of praise for his intelligence, diligence and ability as a coach.
Part of the problem, I would say, is that Alonso has never been particularly concerned about making friends in the media. Respect me for who I am and what I do This was his mantra as a player and this remained his mantra as a coach also. There is no lobby working on their behalf, and that can be a sad situation.
Under club president Florentino Pérez, Madrid have had no less than 10 coaches who lasted from three months to less than a year – the two most recent coaches being Rafa Benítez and Julen Lopetegui. It still seems both unimaginable and preposterous that Alonso’s position could even come under mid-term threat, despite the wolves roaming at his door.
The best cure for him and his team’s troubles would be to start winning again. Any old method. Starting against the Greek champions.
