When Xabi Alonso was first announced as the new Real Madrid manager following the departure of Carlo Ancelotti, many expected the Spaniard to be the guiding force behind a new era at the Estadio Bernabeu, perhaps the likes of which hadn't been seen at Real Madrid before. Unfortunately, not everything went to plan.
After a hot start, winning 14 of their first 15 games, the wheels started to fall off in November and December, and following Real's Spanish Super Cup loss to Barcelona, the club decided to sack Alonso, even though results were improving at the time.
While many would point to the poor form being the main driving force behind Alonso's departure, one former Madrid player, who has plenty of experience under different high-profile Los Blancos managers, points to the rift between the players and the Spaniard , and he is 100% spot on.
Real Madrid legend Bale explains Alonso sack
While speaking with TNT Sports (via GOAL.com) Bale went on to explain why Alonso's tenure at Real Madrid didn't go as many expected and he pinpointed it to one aspect in particular, coaching vs managing. Bale went on to say:
"You need to manage the egos in the dressing room, you have to pamper the egos. You don't need to do so many tactical things. In the dressing room, there are superstars who can change matches in the blink of an eye. So, yes, you can tell he [Alonso] is a great coach and tactician, but at Madrid, obviously, it didn't work."
The best example of this that we saw was the relationship between Vinicius Junior and Alonso. The Brazilian didn't take kindly to being dropped on occasion, and we all know about the impact his blow-up at Alonso following his substitution in El Clasico back in October had on the team, and this is exactly what Bale is talking about.
Alonso failed to properly manage the situation that followed, and in the end, it led to his downfall in the dressing room. When you compare previous Madrid managers Zinedine Zidane and Ancelotti, they were better known for their man management over their tactical brilliance.
The Athletic's David Ornsten echoed this while discussing why Alonso was dismissed:
"How on earth a coach like Alonso is going to come in and succeed,? Not necessarily the Galactico but a team that is run by individuals and off-the-cuff quality as opposed to necessarily adhering to plans and structure, and that's exactly what Alonso brings with him. He's going to need control over that group and that's something you don't get at Real Madrid."
As Bale said, there's no denying that Alonso is a brilliant tactical coach, but being able to manage the players and their personalities is just as important and that is unfortunately where the Spaniard fell short at Los Blancos.