Real Madrid dressing room rallies behind Xabi Alonso | OneFootball

Following three games without a win across all competitions, there was a lot of noise surrounding Real Madrid.

Rumours of an unhappy dressing room under Xabi Alonso started doing the rounds, and soon enough, question marks were raised over the manager’s future at the club.

Amidst all the talk of crisis, Los Blancos managed to return to winning ways, as they defeated Olympiacos 4-3 in Athens on Wednesday, relieving some pressure on the team and the manager.

Real Madrid locker room stands with Alonso

And, according to Mundo Deportivo, amidst all the noise, the Real Madrid squad publicly backed Xabi Alonso and appears to be entering a phase of internal unity.

Players such as Kylian Mbappe, Eduardo Camavinga, and Aurelien Tchouameni, who spoke to the media after the match, delivered a clear message of unity in the face of criticism and of support for the coach and his entire staff.

“We have to protect the players, the coach and everyone in the squad because, at the end of the day, we’re all in this together,” Mbappe said.

Mbappe spoke out in support of Alonso. (Photo by Mateo Villalba Sanchez/Getty Images)

The match in Greece also helped Alonso complete his rapprochement and reconciliation with the two players with whom he had experienced some tension in these first months: Federico Valverde and Vinicius Jr.

The Uruguayan, the team’s vice captain, closed ranks through a message on his social media in which he wrote:

“After a week of many things being said, we are more united than ever. Having Vini and Mbappe is luck, but having the best team in the world committed is an honour.”

Vinicius, for his part, did not speak publicly, but made a clear gesture of reconciliation towards Alonso, with a long embrace between the two at the end of the match showing signs of progress after everything that had happened.

The Brazilian seems to have adjusted his stance towards Alonso, and the coach, in turn, seems to have done the same towards the 25-year-old star, whom he knows he must keep fully motivated if he wants to fight for major titles this season.

After a period of internal tension, it appears that the Real Madrid players and manager have drawn a line and moved forward.