Report – How Real Madrid managed to move past the ‘crisis’ before Olympiacos game | OneFootball

Real Madrid this week were able to return to winning ways thanks to a hard-fought 4-3 victory over Olympiacos.

Heading into this game, there was much speculation on the future of Xabi Alonso, who had reportedly lost the dressing room.

Some had even started using the word ‘crisis’ given Real Madrid’s mounting injury woes, Alonso’s reported inability to hold the dressing togeether and poor results.

But Real Madrid were able to dish out all these talks and speculation by providing a cohesive performance this midweek.

How Real Madrid averted the crisis

As reported by AS, the turnaround began long before the first whistle in the Olympiacos game.

Following Karim Benzema’s warning that “a draw is enough to spark rumours” at Madrid, the squad took matters into their own hands.

Intense locker room meetings and direct messages exchanged late last week were the catalysts for a shift in attitude among the Real Madrid players.

Mbappe and Vinicius banded together brilliantly in Athens. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

The players, aware that the spotlight was burning a hole in their manager’s tenure, stepped up. In Athens. The synergy between Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr., in particular, was a joy to watch.

For much of the second half, the Frenchman actively sought to share the limelight with his Brazilian counterpart, burying reports of an ego clash.

Crucially, the hierarchy of power has been re-established. The club’s emphatic support for Xabi Alonso sent a clear message: the manager is untouchable. The players have responded by publicly backing their coach, as emphasised by Federico Valverde’s recent comment.

Alonso, in turn, has softened his approach, offering a public olive branch to Vinicius with a deliberate, warm embrace after the match.

This bodes extremely well for Real Madrid as they head into a tricky fixture list that doesn’t end until the Holiday period.