‘You Think This Is Kindergarten?’—Real Madrid Star Reopens Wounds of Xabi Alonso Exit

Thibaut Courtois set the record straight after Real Madrid’s thumping victory over Manchester City.

Xabi Alonso (left) got name-checked by Thibaut Courtois in midweek. | Dennis Agyeman/Europa Press/Aitor Alcalde-UEFA/UEFA/Getty Images

Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois rubbished claims that the players were behind Xabi Alonso’s exit during a sharp-tongued debrief.

Courtois is never one to hide his feelings and was emboldened to take on the Spanish press after enjoying a superb 3–0 Champions League thrashing of Manchester City on Wednesday night.

“You think this is a kindergarten and that we do whatever we want,” he seethed, towering above the cluster of phones shoved under his chin in the Bernabéu mixed zone. “And that’s not the case.”

The burly Belgian had a clear message: “Nobody set Xabi up.”

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What Went Wrong for Alonso at Real Madrid?

It always felt doomed to fail for Xabi Alonso. | Diego Souto/Getty Images

Madrid began the current campaign under the watchful eye of Alonso. Despite amassing an impressive run of results, pressure counterintuitively mounted on the former midfielder after the club pulled five points clear of Barcelona in October with a Clásico triumph. Vinicius Junior’s flagrant show of dissent towards his coach after he was substituted appeared to be a public glimpse of the wider discontent aimed at Carlo Ancelotti’s successor.

Alonso oversaw just two wins from an eight-game sequence as November bled into December, with the Champions League defeat to Manchester City initially billed as the breaking point. During this bleak run, it was reported that Vinicius Jr was refusing to negotiate a new contract while Alonso was at the helm. Madrid’s board ultimately held their nerve and were rewarded with a five straight wins leading up to the Spanish Super Cup final against Barcelona.

If a victory over Madrid’s arch rivals inspired so much discontent, a 3–2 defeat did not bode well. Much to the contrary of numerous reports the following day, Alonso was sacked.

Álvaro Arbeloa took over on an uncertain basis and has struggled to consistently get a tune out of this undoubtedly talented—but imbalanced—squad. Defeats to Albacete, Benfica, Osasuna and Getafe have been interspliced with unconvincing wins. Until Wednesday night.

Madrid put together their most complete performance in years to systematically dismantle Pep Guardiola’s City side. “I’m very happy for how the Bernabéu and the players have enjoyed themselves,” Arbeloa grinned at the final whistle. “They deserved a night like this, for all they have suffered, and how they worked today.”

With the wind in his sails, Courtois was empowered to set the record straight on the previous regime.

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Courtois: We’re Professionals

Thibaut Courtois (right) got stuck in against Man City. | Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto/Getty Images

Courtois took particular issue with the widespread reports that the dressing room held more power than the manager and Alonso’s downfall was the result of a successful coup d’état.

“Nobody set Xabi up,” the goalkeeper scoffed. “Saying we don’t like the tactics, that we don’t like the videos ... I had Antonio Conte [at Chelsea], and you’d spend an hour there [watching videos]. And I didn’t care, because we’re professionals. It’s my job.

“It’s one thing to play with your friends. There, it’s normal not to want to watch a half-hour video. But if I have to watch a video, I watch it. We prepare for matches. I spoke with the NFL in the summer, and they're watching videos all the time. Our professionalism has been questioned. The first few months with Xabi went very well. And we had a rough patch, which we didn’t find ourselves in, but we're not in charge, the manager is and we have to respect him.”

The common thread underpinning Alonso’s demise was the idea that he did too much. Gareth Bale, the five-time Champions League winner with Real, summed it up best: “In Madrid, you don’t need to be a coach, you need to be a manager.”

Arbeloa has certainly leaned upon the question of mentality during his brief stint. “We knew there was not much confidence in this team and these players,” he explained after the victory over City. “We’ve shown that we are Real Madrid, and you can never assume we are dead.”

However, it would be wrong to disregard his influence as purely intangible. Federico Valverde’s first goal of the night came from a long pass over the top of City’s high backline which Madrid had deliberately worked on, spotting that the Premier League outfit left themselves exposed while pressing at goal kicks.

“We respect the coaches, the technical staff, everyone,” Courtois insisted. “Many criticisms are unfair. Others are correct, and that’s fine. Sometimes we don’t play well: against Celta, Getafe ... We’re partly to blame, and I accept that.

“But today was a step forward as a team, and we have to remember that. If we fight for each other, things will turn out well.”

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