Now we know why Xabi Alonso left Real Madrid

It had felt inevitable for a while, but the news is now official. On Monday evening, Real Madrid confirmed that head coach Xabi Alonso had left the club. The 44-year-old departs after only 34 matches in charge, winning 24 of them, losing just six.

The most recent of these defeats came at the weekend, which seemingly proved to be the final straw for Florentino Pérez. Los Blancos were beaten 3-2 in the Supercopa de España Final by Barcelona on Sunday night, a true thriller in Jeddah that very much could have gone either way.

Another former Liverpool man Álvaro Arbeloa, who has been coaching Castilla, will now take interim charge, starting with Wednesday's Copa del Rey tie against Albacete Balompié.

Alonso's sacking feels extremely harsh. Yes, los Merengues did endure three successive draws with Rayo Vallecano, Elche and Girona, all away from home, and last month's 2-0 defeat at the hands of Celta Vigo at the Bernabéu was both chaotic and catastrophic, but it's far from all been bad. Real Madrid are second in La Liga, just four points behind Barça, and sit seventh in the Champions League, with Monaco and Benfica their remaining opponents.

Nevertheless, despite working miracles at Bayer Leverkusen, landing the club's first-ever Meisterschale, Alonso appeared doomed from the start in Madrid. Now, the true reasons behind his dismissal are coming to light.

Why Xabi Alonso was really sacked by Real Madrid

As reported by Edu Aguirre of El Chiringuito, it was Alonso's issues at Real Madrid's training ground in Valdebebas, rather than results, that led to his sacking. He claims that players were regularly strolling around the complex, as well as arriving late and leaving straight after training had concluded. Aguirre adds that Alonso's coaches regularly had to encourage players to partake in gym work, tactical sessions and pressing within matches.

This all adds to the sense that Real Madrid, as a club, is completely unmanageable. Since Vicente del Bosque's sacking in 2003, very few men have been successful in the Bernabéu dugout.

Real Madrid managers (2003-present)

Since 2003, only five Real Madrid managers have lasted more than 100 matches. They are José Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti twice and Zinédine Zidane twice. Don Carlo and Zizou are also the only men to have delivered Champions League success in the last 24 years.

Whenever los Blancos bring in a coach who prioritised tactics, Rafa Benítez, Julen Lopetegui and now Alonso, the players do not buy into it and the coach is quickly dispensed with. Given this state of affairs, it's frankly remarkable they've been able to win four La Liga titles and six Champions Leagues since 2014.

So, who next? Well, it is impossible to say, given that it is becoming clearer and clearer that Real Madrid's squad might just be unmanageable.