Real Madrid give Xabi Alonso ‘the ultimate test’ to avoid sack; Liverpool snub now looks silly | OneFootball

Xabi Alonso’s decision to turn down the chance to take charge of Liverpool when Jurgen Klopp left is coming back to bite him, as a top source reveals the major problem that the Real Madrid boss is facing at Estadio Bernabeu.

In January 2024, when Klopp announced his decision to leave Liverpool at the end of the 2023/24 campaign, Alonso was among the managers that the Reds wanted to bring to Anfield. The former Liverpool midfielder was in charge of Bayer Leverkusen at the time, and he decided to stay at the German club after winning the Bundesliga and the DFB-Pokal.

In November 2025, Alonso said, as quoted in The Mirror: “At that time I was focused, I had a big thing with the Leverkusen players and we were really focused on that.”

Alonso resisted the temptation to leave Bayer on a high and take charge of Liverpool in the summer of 2024, but, just a year later, when Real Madrid came calling, he did not hesitate to step down as the Bayer boss and replace Carlo Ancelotti at Estadio Bernabeu.

It has been a baptism of fire for Alonso in charge of, arguably, the biggest club in the world, and with speculation now very much rife on his future.

Trusted journalist Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Real Madrid have B-team manager Alvaro Arbeloa ready to step in for Alonso should he get the sack.

Alonso was given three matches to save his Madrid career: Alaves, Talavera and Sevilla.

A 2-1 laboured win against Alaves in LaLiga last weekend was followed by a 3-2 victory over Talavera – who are second from bottom in Primera RFEF – Group 1, the third tier in the Spanish football league system – in the Copa del Rey on Wednesday evening.

According to Marca, the number one source for Real Madrid scoops with strong ties to the club’s hierarchy, despite the wins, ‘Xabi Alonso remains under surveillance’.

The report has noted: ‘The manager’s credibility remains at rock bottom, and doubts persist within the club, not so much because of the specific results but because of a much more worrying reality: the team’s performance isn’t improving, and the feeling is that the sporting project is heading nowhere.’

Marca added: ‘Saturday brings another test against Sevilla, after which a new period of reflection will begin in the boardroom.

‘The future doesn’t look promising for Xabi Alonso unless there’s an immediate and decisive turnaround. If they pass the Sevilla test, the Spanish Super Cup appears to be the ultimate test.’

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After the game against Sevilla this weekend, Madrid will face Real Betis at Estadio Bernabeu on January 4 before taking on Atletico Madrid in the semi-finals of the Spanish Super Cup four days later.

Marca continued: ‘Xabi is trying to turn things around, but the feeling at the club is that he’s lost all the momentum he had when he arrived in May.

‘Right now, it’s as if Real Madrid has changed coaches. He’s not the Xabi they expected, but a manager who’s currently walking a tightrope to avoid upsetting the dressing room and who has completely lost his sense of authority.’

What is striking about Marca’s report is how it concludes, noting that at Madrid, there is no room for ‘years of transition’.

Madrid did not win LaLiga or the Champions League last season, and for a club of their stature, it is simply unthinkable that they will not win either for the second successive year.

‘The context is more than delicate for Xabi Alonso, who is no longer just fighting against the results, but against a climate of permanent urgency in the club, which does not understand years of transition and always seeks immediate results,’ read the conclusion.

Now, contrast that with Liverpool, who have consistently backed Arne Slot this season, despite poor results and the public fallout with Mohamed Salah.

True, Slot won the Premier League title with Liverpool last season, but the Merseyside club may not even finish in the Champions League places this campaign.

Yet, Fenway Sports Group (FSG) are backing Slot and have no immediate plans to sack the Liverpool manager.

At Madrid, as Marca notes, Alonso is ‘walking a tightrope’. Even wins are being seen as losses or near-losses.

Perhaps Alonso should have taken the Liverpool job when he had the chance to. Managing Madrid looks to be too big for the 44-year-old.

Meanwhile, Real Madrid have made contact with Manchester United and have asked about signing one of their underused players in the January transfer window.

Xabi Alonso will be in dreamland to learn that Liverpool are ready to sell their playmaker to Real Madrid, having urged Los Blancos to sign him in the summer of 2025.