Los Blancos have won only one of their last five and there is talk of dressing room unrest
On his first day, Xabi Alonso announced a new era at Real Madrid. And then when the season began he indeed started with a bang. They won all of their first seven games before that deflating defeat to Atletico in the Madrid derby in September.
Madrid recovered, and then went on to win their next six, including the 2-1 win in October’s clásico. But then the bus ran out of fuel in November.
Dropped points have begun to pile up, most recently in the 1-1 draw away to struggling Girona at the weekend. That Girona started and finished the weekend in the relegation zone yet made Madrid look mediocre at times was particularly worrying.
It took a Kylian Mbappe penalty to salvage a draw, although admittedly Madrid had the ball in the net twice and saw both goals ruled out for handball and offside respectively.
But that match also followed similar draws against Rayo Vallecano and Elche, which has now seen Alonso’s side drop to second place in the table, one point behind title rivals Barcelona. In fact, Madrid have won only one of their last five games in all competitions, the 4-3 victory over Olympiacos in the Champions League last week, when Mbappe scored four goals to keep the Greek hounds at bay in Piraeus.
The poor form has increased scrutiny on Alonso. There is disagreement within the dressing room over his methods, according to The Athletic, although for now the situation is not believed to have damaged relationships between players.
There are some mitigating circumstances. Madrid have played four straight away matches in all competitions because the Santiago Bernabeu was unavailable due to hosting an NFL game. Some figures at the club believe the heavy travel schedule has played a part in the poor performances. But there are also concerns that the problem might be deeper than that.
Of course, senior players such as Mbappe and Federico Valverde have already played down suggestions of dressing room unrest. Last week, Mbappe said the squad had to be “united” and “protect” Alonso.
“I know people talk a lot on the outside,” said Mbappe. “It’s normal for people to talk when you play for Real Madrid. We have to protect the players, the coach and the staff. In the end, we’re all in this together.”
People close to the situation have pointed out that it was always going to be challenging to reshape the squad and implement a clear structure after the kind of freestyle football the club played under Carlo Ancelotti, with established stars such as Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham given a lot of freedom.
However, there are also fears that Alonso’s instructions are not being carried through and that he does not enjoy the confidence of the entire squad.
Alonso’s falling out with Vinicius is already well-known. The manager has played down the situation but The Athletic reported that Vinicius told club president Florentino Perez that he would not renew his contract while his relationship with the coach remains sour.
There is no sense of immediate danger to Alonso’s position. For now, he seems to be keeping a firm grip on things. But there is also an understanding that improvement is needed quickly.
Upcoming fixtures, beginning with another away trip to Athletic Club on Wednesday, are crucial because positive results would restore confidence and boost team spirit. If Madrid keep dropping points in those games, the internal bubbling could blow up beyond Alonso’s control.
