Real Madrid on cusp of sacking Alonso as Liverpool legend Klopp tipped to take over | OneFootball

Xabi Alonso has lost the dressing room at Real Madrid and after narrowly surviving an early-hours meeting with his job intact, a report claims he’ll be sacked if losing to Manchester City on Wednesday.

Alonso succeeded Carlo Ancelotti at the Bernabeu over the summer, and after spending heavily in the transfer market to refresh the defence, a dominant campaign was anticipated.

However, Real Madrid were embarrassed on the global stage when thumped by PSG in the Club World Cup. A bright start in LaLiga has quickly tailed off with just one win in their last five matches, and Real now trail bitter rivals Barcelona by four points.

The latest poor result came on Sunday night when Real Madrid were beaten at the Bernabeu 2-0 by Celta Vigo.

And according to Spanish outlet El Mundo, the disastrous result and the dire display that preceded it prompted an emergency meeting among Real’s hierarchy to discuss Alonso’s position.

But while opinion among those calling the shots was split and Alonso thus clung on to power, it’s claimed the conclusion from the meeting is Alonso now has one match to save his job – Manchester City on Wednesday.

As such, old enemy Pep Guardiola could once again get one over on Real Madrid by being directly responsible for Los Blancos sacking their manager.

El Mundo reported: ‘The early hours of Sunday to Monday were long at the Santiago Bernabéu.

‘Real Madrid ‘s 0-2 defeat to Celta Vigo, coupled with the team’s lacklustre performance in the first hour, their disarray in the final stages, and their complete absence of quality football throughout the night, left Xabi Alonso in a precarious position.

‘According to sources close to this newspaper, the club’s top management met for several hours after the match in the offices at the Bernabéu to decide whether the manager would remain in his position.

‘Real Madrid have only managed one win in their last five La Liga matches and have gone from leading the league by five points over Barcelona to trailing their biggest rivals by four. All in just over a month.

‘The meeting, which lasted past 1 a.m., yielded one conclusion: the match against Manchester City is Alonso’s last chance; the relationship between the dressing room and the manager is beyond repair.

‘And Real Madrid are already scouring the market for a replacement. Two names stand out on the list of favourites: Zinedine Zidane and Jurgen Klopp.’

Liverpool legend Klopp currently serves as Red Bull’s Head of Global Soccer. The German has shown little appetite to return to the stresses and strains of management, though an offer to manage arguably the world’s biggest club would unquestionably be difficult to ignore.

Zidane, meanwhile, could take temporary charge until the end of the current campaign. A contract any longer than that would be unlikely, with Zidane widely understood to have his eyes on succeeding Didier Deschamps as manager of the France national side after the 2026 World Cup.

Real Madrid media turning on Alonso

Even Marca – known for putting a positive spin on all things to do with Real Madrid – are turning on Alonso.

In the aftermath of the defeat to Celta Vigo, they wrote: ‘Xabi Alonso took to the Real Madrid stage with a grim expression and a lost look , desperately trying to find a solution to a problem that keeps growing.’

Marca added: ‘Every attempt was thwarted by defensive walls, and Real Madrid were unable to impose their style against tightly packed opponents, highlighting that the manager has yet to find the formula to unlock the team in decisive moments.

‘The blow isn’t just a statistical one: losing their unbeaten home record before hosting Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City sends a worrying warning about Real Madrid’s ability to maintain their solidity and about the mounting pressure on Alonso.’