Xabi Alonso was riding a wave of unprecedented success as the Manager of Bayer Leverkusen. He not only propelled the German side to a phenomenal Bundesliga title in the 2023-24 season, unseating Bayern Munich, but did so without losing a single match.
Alonso was credited big time for Leverkusen’s success and so it was natural that he moved to one of the more celebrated clubs. No wonder Xabi Alonso was signed to manage Real Madrid.
Less than a year later, Xabi has been removed as Manager, with former player and B-Team manager Alvaro Albeloa appointed in his place.
Real Madrid’s recent form was a bit of a concern, with 4 points adrift of leaders and arch-rivals Barcelona in La Liga. The loss to Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup Final on Sunday was like the last straw in an already strained relationship between Real Madrid bosses and Xabi Alonso.
Taking a holistic view, however, Real Madrid were not doing too badly under Xabi Alonso to warrant his sacking. He had proven his potential as a player and also as a Manager, and in my opinion, deserved a longer run. There was ample time left in the season for Real Madrid to get past Barcelona. It was not over yet, but probably a trust deficit led to this drastic decision. Unfortunately, the perils of holding a high-profile job became Xabi’s undoing.
I am sure some other Club is going to get lucky.
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