After Real Madrid dropped points for a third consecutive La Liga match, Xabi Alonso told the press: “It’s a long season.” Yet the time afforded to underperforming managers at the biggest club in the world is typically the opposite of long.
Alonso is feeling the pressure in his debut season in charge of Real Madrid. The former Bayer Leverkusen boss went from a hero’s farewell in Germany, where he made Bundesliga and European history, to carrying the weight of Los Blancos’ early season failures.
Following in the footsteps of Carlo Ancelotti, the club’s winningest manager of all time, was never going to be easy. Yet Alonso was given an upgraded defense, a Ballon d’Or worthy-start from Kylian Mbappé and a Barcelona side plagued by injury to help him through the first few months on the touchline in the Spanish top-flight.
It comes as no surprise, then, that the Spaniard is under scrutiny already given Real Madrid’s current slump that saw them drop to second in the La Liga standings following draws with Rayo Vallecano, Elche and Girona. In fact, the club secured just one win in their last five matches across all competitions.
There is criticism to be shared for the Spanish giants’ drop in form, but a slew of concerning decisions from Alonso makes it entirely fair to ask the question: Is he out of his depth going from managing Bayer Leverkusen to Real Madrid?
