When Xabi Alonso was first announced as the new manager of Real Madrid, he was expected to bring in a number of changes from the dying days of the Carlo Ancelotti regime. One of the biggest changes that was needed was a change in philosophy and culture within the dressing room. And in the early days, it seemed Alonso was doing just that and the team looked more united than ever under the new manager.
However, unfortunately for Xabi Alonso, the wheels quickly fell off and it ended up costing him his job. While many would point to the 5-2 loss to Atletico Madrid as the starting point, for Alonso, the writing was on the wall as far back his side's 2-1 El Clasico victory back in October.
Following his substitution of Vinicius Jr, the Brazilian threw a tantrum, and that served as the moment the manager started to lose the dressing room, which ultimately led to his sacking. Alonso tried to warn the board members during their final meeting, but they didn't listen, and it could come back to haunt Madrid.
Alonso fired a warning Madrid must take on board
According to Fabrizio Romano (via Transfer News Live) Xabi Alonso had an ominous message for Real Madrid's hierarchy in their final meeting before his departure. According to Romano, he told the board:
"You cannot give players this much power. It’s impossible for a coach to impose authority in the dressing room when the club consistently sides with the players."
This is perfectly spot on from Alonso, and it should be bookmarked by fans for the future. When players have more say than the manager, no team can be successful, and no coach can do their job properly. Look at other teams in Europe like Bayern Munich or Manchester City or even Barcelona, the manager is the main authority figure in the team and the players follow his instructions and this makes them three of the most successful clubs in Europe.
We don't see Erling Haaland going against Pep Guardiola and doing whatever he wants, as we saw with Vinicius when clashing with Alonso. And that is the main problem with this new era of Galacticos at Madrid: not only do the players not listen to the manager, but the board doesn't either, and when the coach has no backing from anywhere in the club, it's impossible for him to do his job.
Alvaro Arbeloa has been announced as Real Madrid manager for now, following Alonso's departure, and who will be the next full-time manager remains a mystery. But if the next permanent boss runs into the same issue as Alonso, how can they expect him to be successful? There needs to be bigger changes at the club, and they start with tackling the power the players have within the squad.