It doesn't take long to get found out at Real Madrid. The millisecond that a point is dropped, Real Madrid fans are on it, trying to find a reason why.
Well, those Real Madrid detectives have been given plenty to ponder over the last few weeks. After a phenomenal start to the season, the period leading into the international break looked stale, and Real Madrid felt it with two games on the bounce without winning.
That tally was shamefully added to over the weekend, as Real Madrid marked their return from the international break with an underwhelming draw to Elche.
Xabi Alonso is left with egg on his face one day after Real Madrid claim
Just yesterday, Xabi Alonso claimed that the Real Madrid dressing room was growing closer. His messaging was that, day by day, he feels more connected to the dressing room.
In his own words, Xabi Alonso said: “My connection with the dressing room is getting stronger every day. We are not happy, but we must move forward, there are a lot of games left”.
Of course, both the Real Madrid squad and Xabi Alonso himself have one shared goal: for the club to be great. This was always known, however, the concern was that the players and the manager had different approaches to achieving that goal.
And, just one day after Xabi Alonso made that claim, the Real Madrid news cycle has turned bitter again. In fact, this might just be one of the darkest Real Madrid days in recent history.
Over the last few hours, it was revealed that Vini Jr has refused to sign a contract extension, and that his sour relationship with Xabi Alonso is a big reason why he won't extend.
But that's only one player, right? Wrong. Another claim from The Athletic journalist Mario Cortegana has revealed that Real Madrid is concerned about the discontent among a significant group of players. Vini is the standout example, but the same problem is happening around him, too.
We must make one thing clear: Cortegana never claimed that Real Madrid is concerned about Xabi Alonso; they are only concerned about the situation. Nobody has jumped to conclusions at this stage.
However, it didn't take long at all for Alonso's claim to be disproven. It was clear as day to the fanbase that something was up behind the scenes, but now, Alonso looks silly for even suggesting that it wasn't the case.