Throughout his managerial career, Pep Guardiola has faced off against top Real Madrid coaches, including Jose Mourinho, Zinedine Zidane, and Carlo Ancelotti. Being a former Barcelona player and manager, fixtures against Los Blancos do not get any bigger.
Now Guardiola could decide the fate of Real Madrid's current manager, Xabi Alonso. Guardiola's Manchester City face Los Blancos in the Champions League this week. According to Marca (translated from Spanish), "Many things will depend on the result of that match and the team's performance, starting with the future of Xabi Alonso."
Alonso is under huge pressure following Real Madrid's loss to Celta Vigo last weekend. Los Blancos are now trailing Barcelona by four points in La Liga. However, Alonso's side has won all of their Champions League games except their loss to Liverpool at Anfield.
Pressure is always on Real Madrid coaches to deliver silverware. Alonso is a club legend from his playing days, but this will not guarantee him time. He has earned the right to manage Los Blancos from his impressive spell with Bayer Leverkusen.
Does Xabi Alonso deserve more time at Real Madrid?
Alonso won the Bundesliga with Leverkusen and took them to the Europa League final. However, he has had a mixed start to his Real Madrid managerial career. First, there was the Club World Cup failure. Los Blancos were obliged to win the tournament as it was the first one in its new expanded format.
Alonso's side made it to the semi-finals, but they then lost to Paris Saint-Germain. He made amends for this by surging Real Madrid to the top of La Liga. However, just one win in their last five league games has meant that Barcelona has capitalized on their poor form.
Perhaps the biggest concern for Real Madrid's hierarchy is that Alonso has had many problems with his players. This was always going to be the case, as there are some big egos in their locker room. Vinicius Junior will reportedly not sign a new contract while Alonso is still at the club. Vinicius and Kylian Mbappe do not appear to gel in the team. Whilst the young Brazilian prodigy, Endrick, has been frozen out of Alonso's lineup.
Alonso has been unlucky with injuries during his time with Los Blancos so far. His defence has been decimated; Dani Carvajal, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Eder Militao, David Alaba, and Ferland Mendy are all currently out of action.