The training incident that ignited Xabi Alonso’s exit at Real Madrid: ‘Didn’t know I was coming to coach a nursery’ | OneFootball

Real Madrid fans and players have been rocked by the sudden dismissal of Xabi Alonso as head coach last night.

Although Real Madrid did lose to Barcelona in the Super Cup, the entire Spanish media was convinced Xabi had bought himself some more time.

But it took just one statement from Real Madrid to change everything. And ever since that confirmation, the media has been reporting how the lack of respect within the dressing room led to his departure.

The apex event started it all

A recent report from MARCA has offered some more insights into the Xabi Alonso’s exit case at Real Madrid.

The report points out that the process of Alonso’s departure started in early November during a training session.

In what could have been just another normal training session, Xabi was left annoyed by the lack of seriousness and commitment shown by the players, who showed zero effort in understanding the coach’s tactical work.

Xabi Alonso had lost total control of the dressing room. (Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images)

This could be seen as a direct protest from the players’ end, towards Xabi’s methods, which were seen as too intense by many. The players also felt they were being treated with too much information.

This led to an eventual lack of commitment from the players, which drove Xabi Alonso ‘crazy’ as the Spaniard believed the team was far from where he wanted them to be and accelerated the process. This was not liked by the players.

As the players whispered to each other and continued sulking, it prompted Xabi to shout a phrase that started everything. “I didn’t know I was coming to coach a nursery,” he said.

Although Real Madrid’s performances actually improved in December and the team were even able to end the year with three back-to-back wins, Alonso was never quite able to recover the same level of respect from the players, eventually prompting his exit.