"Alonso arrived at Real in the summer offering a modern approach but the club has to accept that this step is necessary. And it still resists. President Florentino Perez has never fully believed in this kind of change, even though people inside the club convinced him to appoint Rafa Benitez, Julien Lopetegui and Xabi Alonso - steps in a new direction."
"When he arrived at Bayer Leverkusen, Alonso asked to be released if any of the clubs he had played for came calling, provided he felt like taking the job. He added one more team to that list - Manchester City, as Pep's eventual replacement. Now it could be Pep who leaves him without a job. Madrid's return to the Bernabeu after six games away reflected everything that has gone wrong across their run of just three wins in seven."
"Some good moments were there but what stood out most was the lack of connection between the manager's idea and the players' execution. They don't seem to fully believe in the plan. The scenes in the dressing room after Sunday's defeat were pure frustration - objects thrown, raised voices. Any time someone tried to blame the referee, the response was immediate: "That's a bad excuse." Alonso had shouted a swear word"
Xabi Alonso's position at Real Madrid remains uncertain with a Champions League meeting against Manchester City potentially decisive. Fans booed the team after a 2-0 La Liga loss to Celta Vigo, prompting an emergency meeting among club leaders. Real sit four points behind Barcelona and have won only one of their last five league matches following a dramatic slump since October. Club president Florentino Perez has historically resisted modernizing coaching approaches and reverts to favoring less interventionist managers when results falter. Dressing-room frustration has erupted into thrown objects and raised voices, undermining player belief in Alonso's plan and weakening his survival chances.
Read at www.bbc.com
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