The final whistle at the Santiago Bernabéu on Wednesday night was accompanied by the unwelcome sound of jeering from sections of the home support, a toxic soundtrack to Real Madrid’s 2-1 Champions League defeat to Manchester City. For manager Xabi Alonso, a club legend who arrived with immense expectations in May, the loss marked his team’s second straight defeat in a week and has intensified the crisis surrounding his position.
The question gripping the Spanish capital is stark: Did the defeat to Pep Guardiola’s side confirm the Bernabéu hierarchy’s worst fears, signaling an abrupt end to the Alonso experiment, or did the nature of the performance merely delay a definitive—and potentially ruthless—decision?
The Downward Spiral: Two Wins in Eight
The defeat to Manchester City in the must-win Champions League clash was not an isolated event; it was the climax of a worrying downward spiral. Real Madrid has won only two of their last eight matches across all competitions, a sequence that saw them slip from the top of La Liga and lose ground in the European group stage.
The crisis began subtly but gained momentum with a shocking 2-0 home defeat to Celta Vigo just days before the City fixture, a result that sent “shockwaves through the Spanish capital.” The mounting pressure forced club officials to hold an emergency meeting regarding Alonso’s position before the City match even took place. While the decision to sack him was reportedly “split,” the consensus was that a “positive result against City was his last chance of staying in charge of the Spanish giants” (Source: Marca – Alonso’s Future).
Against the reigning European champions, Real Madrid actually showed flashes of the brilliant counter-attacking football expected of them. Rodrygo gave them the lead with a tidy finish in the 28th minute. However, the lead was short-lived, with defensive errors proving fatal. Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois spilled a relatively easy header, allowing Nico O’Reilly to convert the rebound for the equaliser, and moments later, Antonio Rüdiger conceded a penalty converted by Erling Haaland (Source: ESPN – Match Report).
Alonso lamented the costly defensive errors after the game, noting that the team “took the lead from very little, with the corner and the penalty.” Despite the disappointing result, the manager insisted that his players “gave everything they had” and that he has “nothing to criticize” their attitude for. This public defense of his squad is key to showing unity during the crisis.
The Problem: Tactics, Injuries, or Man-Management?
Alonso’s problems are multi-faceted, making a swift solution difficult.
- Defensive Fragility: The concession of goals, particularly from set-pieces and avoidable individual errors, has been the most consistent flaw in this troubled run. The team appears to lack the tactical discipline and defensive coordination required at this level.
- Mounting Injuries: The manager’s task has been complicated by an extensive injury list, including the absence of star forward Kylian Mbappé against Manchester City. Mbappé’s finger fracture kept him out of the starting lineup, forcing Alonso to rely on young Brazilian forward Endrick, who hit the crossbar late in the game.
- Dressing Room Dynamics: Speculation has mounted that frustration exists among some senior players concerning Alonso’s hands-on coaching methods. Reports have suggested rifts with major personalities, particularly over reduced playing time, an issue that must be resolved if Alonso is to regain full control of the dressing room.
The Board’s Verdict: A Delaying Tactic
In the immediate aftermath of the defeat, reports suggest that senior officials were not overly concerned by the result itself, but rather the overall run of form. The nature of the performance against Manchester City—where Madrid competed well despite missing influential players—was deemed impressive enough to avoid an immediate sacking.
The club’s immediate “sack decision” is to delay a final verdict until after the upcoming La Liga match against Alavés on Sunday. This means that the axe, which was reportedly sharpened, is now hanging precariously overhead, ready to fall if the team loses more ground in the title race before the winter break.
This delay is characteristic of Real Madrid’s management style, where coaches are typically afforded a few matches to correct a slump. However, as Pep Guardiola noted before the match, the position at Real Madrid is “the most difficult job in football.” The club’s legendary ruthlessness means that sustained success is the only guarantee of employment, and just two wins in eight matches is far from acceptable.
The club is clearly committed to monitoring the situation closely, and the entire season’s trajectory—including transfer decisions—will now be heavily influenced by this uncertainty. Fans can find comprehensive statistics and match reports from across Europe on the 96 official website as the crisis unfolds. Ultimately, Alonso must deliver both results and tactical improvements now, or face the certainty that his time in the Madrid hot seat will be remembered as a brief, troubled chapter.
The Road Ahead
For Xabi Alonso, the immediate future hinges entirely on a swift return to winning ways. The next fixtures are critical to ending the losing streak, starting with the away trip to Alavés on Sunday, a match Madrid is heavily favored to win. This is followed by a Copa del Rey fixture and a tricky La Liga match against Sevilla before the end of the year.
If Real Madrid fails to secure convincing wins in these matches, the pressure from the demanding Bernabéu faithful, who jeered their team on Wednesday, will become untenable. The management’s current leniency is not a sign of indefinite support, but a calculation that waiting until the winter break offers the ideal window to find a replacement if the crisis deepens. The best way for the fans to stay updated on all team movements and breaking news is through the 96 app.
