Even a win might not save him: miracle manager faces shock sacking | OneFootball

At the end of May, on his first day at work, he announced: "It is the beginning of a new era." The goals? Exclusively from the top shelf. "I want a team that exudes emotions and energy, plays ambitiously, and creates a connection with the fans." Barely six months later, all of this seems like castles in the air, and the supposed era is threatened with ending before the year's end.

A team? According to Spanish newspapers, Real Madrid is split into two camps. Exuding emotions and energy? The aggression during substitutions is currently greater for some stars than in the duels on the field.

Playing ambitiously? Despite an ultimatum from President Florentino Pérez ("Something has to change here, and the solutions must come immediately"), the Royals struggled to scrape out two narrow victories against Alaves and third-division team Talavera after a 0:2 defeat against Celta Vigo. Previously, they suffered a 1:2 home defeat in the Champions League match against Manchester City. By the middle of the second half, there were whistles from the stands, so much for the connection with the fans.

Xabi Alonso is said to be responsible for the bleak situation around the Bernabéu. Pérez practically introduced him as the new Messiah: "You are one of the best coaches in the world." This man is supposed to have become an interchangeable coach of a team that only half supports him and feels constrained by his methods. How could this happen?

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In Leverkusen, the former playmaker made a name for himself as a tactical genius, giving his team a clear plan and leading them to success. This is what they wished for in the Spanish capital at the time. Because after years of success, performances under Carlo Ancelotti's leadership became more inconsistent. His long leash with the players - reportedly turning a blind eye to lateness according to Dani Carvajal - was suddenly seen as a leadership weakness and fatigue in office.

"Xabi is stricter, more disciplined," Carvajal noted in early September on the radio show 'El Partidazo de COPE' about the changed leadership style under his former teammate's regime. This reportedly quickly rubbed some stars the wrong way, especially Vinícius Jr. 'BBC' expert Guillem Balague reported that the Brazilian and his coach clashed during the Club World Cup because Alonso informed the winger before the match against PSG that he would not be in the starting lineup. The game was subsequently lost 0:4.

It is clear that his substitutions increasingly became a political issue. The media-highlighted peak followed in the Clásico at the end of October. Vinicius Jr. left the field in a rage, not even glancing at Alonso. Although both quickly insisted after the game that such things can happen in the heat of passion, the public damage to the Real coach's authority was significant. 

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In Leverkusen, this would never have happened, emphasized Bayer boss Fernando Carro recently on 'Sky': "If the president believes that a coach is a necessary evil, if the coach is left alone and always has to take the criticism, then the situation is completely different than in Leverkusen, where we all pulled together and did not leave the coach alone".

Following this assessment, 'Marca' reported after Real's 3:2 cup victory against Talavera that Patron Pérez and his esteemed associates had come to the conclusion that the path with Alonso "leads nowhere." A victory against FC Sevilla this weekend is therefore self-evidently mandatory. For Alonso's job security in Madrid, that might still be too little. If the 44-year-old really wants to turn things around, he needs not just a win but, according to Spanish media, also spectacle. Otherwise, the new era is allegedly already over after just half a year.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.

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