Xabi Alonso had an impressive record as the manager of Bayer Leverkusen. He won the Bundesliga, ending Bayern Munich's run of 11 successive titles. Alonso also won the DFB-Pokal, DFL-Supercup, and took Leverkusen to the Europa League final.
Alonso also helped players such as Florian Wirtz and Jeremie Frimpong develop. Both players have since been signed by Alonso's former club, Liverpool. Many Reds supporters would have wanted Alonso to be Jurgen Klopp's successor, but he instead opted to have another season with Leverkusen.
It was to be another one of Alonso's ex-teams that was to be his next managerial job, Real Madrid. However, it has not gone swimmingly so far. Firstly, they failed to win the Club World Cup, losing to eventual runners-up Paris Saint-Germain in the semi-finals.
Los Blancos then had a great start to La Liga, winning their first six matches. However, they then lost 5-2 to Atletico Madrid. Alonso's side responded to this well by being victorious in their next four games. Although they have now drawn their last three games in the division. This has meant that rivals Barcelona have now taken their place at the top of La Liga.
The pressure is mounting on Xabi Alonso
Due to their current poor form in La Liga, there are questions about Alonso's position. This is despite him being a club legend in his first season in charge of the club. The manager was not impressed when asked about his future at the Bernabeu.
Alonso was quoted by MadridXtra, saying, "Worried about talk of my dismissals and signings? I'm thinking about tomorrow, about preparing the team. There's a long way to go, more than a third of the season, everything is tight, and there's still a lot to play for. Things can change a lot. We're finding it hard to win away from home, but we can do it tomorrow."
The comments came yesterday, ahead of Real Madrid's fixture with Athletic Club tonight. That match is away from home, as have been the last three games that Los Blancos have played in La Liga. Their defeat to Atletico Madrid earlier in the campaign also came in an away fixture. Alonso's side also lost to Liverpool at Anfield in the Champions League.
Given that Real Madrid are still second in La Liga and fifth in the Champions League, his position is safe for now. However, pressure on Alonso will be amplified if Los Blancos fail to win silverware this season.