In the high-stakes world of Real Madrid, where success is non-negotiable and managerial changes are as frequent as El Cl\u00e1sico drama, Xabi Alonso\u2019s tenure is hanging by a thread following a disappointing 2-1 defeat to Manchester City in the UEFA Champions League on December 10, 2025. The loss at the Santiago Bernab\u00e9u has intensified speculation about Alonso\u2019s job security, with reports swirling that the former Bayer Leverkusen boss could be sacked imminently. But is the writing truly on the wall, or does Alonso deserve more time to turn things around? Let\u2019s dive into the details.<\/p>\n
Real Madrid started brightly against Pep Guardiola\u2019s Manchester City, taking an early lead through Rodrygo\u2019s clinical finish in the 28th minute. The Bernab\u00e9u faithful sensed a statement win that could steady the ship amid a rocky run of form. However, defensive lapses proved costly. City\u2019s equalizer came from a set-piece scramble in the 35th minute, with Josko Gvardiol\u2019s header parried by Thibaut Courtois before Nico O\u2019Reilly pounced on the rebound. Erling Haaland then sealed the comeback with a penalty in the second half, capitalizing on a foul by Antonio R\u00fcdiger.<\/p>\n
Despite dominating possession at times and creating chances\u2014Jude Bellingham missed a golden opportunity early in the second half\u2014Madrid couldn\u2019t find an equalizer. Kylian Mbapp\u00e9\u2019s absence due to injury was keenly felt, as the attack lacked its usual cutting edge. This result marked back-to-back home defeats for Los Blancos, following a shocking 2-0 La Liga loss to Celta Vigo just days earlier. It\u2019s a far cry from Alonso\u2019s promising start, where he led Madrid to the La Liga Manager of the Month award in August 2025 after a flawless opening.<\/p>\n
Appointed in May 2025 on a three-year deal to replace Carlo Ancelotti, Alonso arrived with sky-high expectations. His unbeaten domestic double with Leverkusen in 2023-24, including an astonishing 51-game unbeaten streak, made him the darling of Madridistas dreaming of a tactical revolution. Early signs were positive: a strong pre-season, wins over Barcelona and Juventus, and a top-eight spot in the revamped Champions League league phase.<\/p>\n
But cracks have appeared since October. Madrid have won just two of their last eight games across all competitions, slipping to second in La Liga\u2014four points behind bitter rivals Barcelona. Injuries to key defenders like \u00c9der Milit\u00e3o, Dani Carvajal, and Ferland Mendy have disrupted the backline, while reports of dressing-room tensions\u2014particularly with stars like Vin\u00edcius J\u00fanior\u2014have surfaced. Alonso\u2019s structured, possession-based style, inspired by his time under Guardiola at Bayern Munich, has been criticized as too rigid for Madrid\u2019s Gal\u00e1cticos culture, where individual flair often trumps system.<\/p>\n
Pre-match reports from outlets like MARCA and AS indicated the City clash was a \u201cfinal test\u201d for Alonso. Club president Florentino P\u00e9rez reportedly held crisis talks with the board after the Celta defeat, debating whether to pull the trigger. Speculation linked Zinedine Zidane or J\u00fcrgen Klopp as potential replacements, though Zidane is eyeing the France national team job post-2026 World Cup.<\/p>\n
Despite the doom and gloom, sources close to the club suggest Alonso isn\u2019t getting the boot just yet. Sky Sports Germany and Real Madrid insiders told GiveMeSport that he\u2019ll remain in charge for Sunday\u2019s La Liga clash against Alav\u00e9s. \u201cXabi Alonso will NOT be sacked for now,\u201d one source confirmed, emphasizing a desire for unity amid the injury crisis.<\/p>\n
Players have rallied behind him too. Courtois declared post-match: \u201cWe are with Xabi Alonso. We are 100% behind him and you can see that on the pitch.\u201d Bellingham echoed this, insisting the squad is united. Even Rodrygo spoke out in support, urging fans to back the project during a \u201ccomplicated moment.\u201d<\/p>\n
However, another loss to Alav\u00e9s could drop Madrid seven points adrift of Barcelona, potentially sealing Alonso\u2019s fate. Betting odds on platforms like Polymarket briefly spiked for his sacking before dipping after player endorsements. If P\u00e9rez acts, interim options like Castilla boss \u00c1lvaro Arbeloa or a Zidane return are floated, but a mid-season upheaval risks derailing the season further.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In the high-stakes world of Real Madrid, where success is non-negotiable and managerial changes are as frequent as El Cl\u00e1sico\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":217,"featured_media":37515,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[3800,266,3608],"class_list":["post-16686","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-football","tag-manchester-city","tag-real-madrid","tag-xabi-alonso"],"reading_time":"4 min read","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16686","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/217"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16686"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16686\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/37515"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16686"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16686"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16686"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}