How dressing-room rifts and rotten results left Xabi Alonso and Real Madrid on the cusp of a crisis
But for all of the bad vibes, concerning signals and reasons to worry, this is no time to sack a manager. Alonso comes with an excellent pedigree and has proven himself a terrific tactician during his time at Leverkusen. In the pressure cooker that is Real Madrid, coaches need time to figure things out, and Alonso needs to be given that time. From what the manager is saying publicly, he isn’t feeling the pressure of the sack, as he revealed that he had held favourable talks with Perez following the Girona draw.
“I have spoken to him again and the conversations are very positive, with a very good tone,” Alonso said. “That’s what we’ve talked about, turning the results around.
“We know where we are in the season, there’s a long way to go. It’s all very close and there are a lot of points still up for grabs, so a lot can happen.”
Of course, there will always be a breaking point, and if things don’t improve before the winter break, then Alonso will really begin to feel the heat. But removing a manager this early, with a squad this young and this promising, would be an immense misstep. Madrid require some uncharacteristic patience.
