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‘I Got a Scar’—Xabi Alonso Belatedly Acknowledges Reason for Real Madrid Downfall

After seven months to digest an unexpected failure, Alonso is confident that those mistakes have made him better prepared for the challenge of Chelsea.
Grey Whitebloom|
Xabi Alonso’s Real Madrid tenure did not go as expected.
Xabi Alonso’s Real Madrid tenure did not go as expected. | Diego Souto/Getty Images

Xabi Alonso has accepted that “man management” issues left a “scar” during his doomed tenure as Real Madrid manager.

The revered World Cup winner arrived in Madrid’s dugout last summer with seemingly the perfect background. Boasting a playing career storied enough to garner the respect of a star-studded locker room, Alonso knew the nuances of managing under Florentino Pérez, the same club president from his time on the roster, while also boasting the ultimate feat of dethroning Bayern Munich without losing a game in the 2023–24 Bundesliga season.

The dream soon turned into a nightmare.

Instantly unsettled by the unwanted task of leading Carlo Ancelotti’s squad into the Club World Cup, Alonso rapidly inspired a sense of unease with some players, most notably Vinícius Júnior. The Brazilian star would reportedly have been dropped for the semifinal against Paris Saint-Germain had Trent Alexander-Arnold not gotten injured pregame. In any case, he was played out of position on the right wing in 4–0 drubbing.

Countless outlets stressed how Alonso’s relationship with Vinícius Jr and several other players only deteriorated from that point on, with threats of mutiny a recurring theme throughout his seven months at the helm. Yet, while he was in the eye of the storm, Alonso insisted it wasn’t raining.

“You have to have a lot of respect for the players and the groups, and how they prepare. I don’t want to and I’m not going to talk about that,” the coach fumed when confronted with reports of a disenchanted locker room. A little over a month later, he had been sacked.

With the benefit of seven months to process those whirlwind 34 matches, Alonso was more open to a holistic review.

Alonso Opens Up on Real Madrid Setbacks

“Looking back, I take the positives and the things that didn’t work,” Alonso told The Athletic during Chelsea’s preseason tour of Australia. “I have been very critical of myself, thinking about what I could have done better because it did not go as expected.

“[In terms of positives] there are many experiences, the adaptation I had to do, some things that worked and some things that did not in terms of the game, in terms of the man-management. It is a mixture of everything.”

Alonso is right to point out that his tenure at Real Madrid was not solely defined by mistakes off the pitch; he also made some questionable tactical decisions as well. The call to start left back Fran García at left wing, for example, will be one not quickly forgotten by fans at the Bernabéu.

Yet, Alonso won more than 70% of his 34 matches in charge, took Madrid to the Spanish Super Cup final and left them in position to automatically qualify for the Champions League knockout stages by the time he was sacked in January. Clearly, it was a decision made with consideration to the entirety of his role, as even Alonso would now admit.

How Alonso Plans to Use Real Madrid Struggles to Improve Chelsea

Xabi Alonso
Chelsea have completed changed direction. | Ayush Kumar/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images

When asked if his underwhelming spell at Real Madrid has helped him improve as a manager, Alonso’s answer was emphatic: “Sure, sure, sure.

“Because you learn from the disappointment of things that were not meant to be and you try to think that things will be better.”

Chelsea’s locker room doesn’t offer the same headaches as Madrid’s contingent. Former Los Blancos winger Gareth Bale succinctly summarized Alonso’s failing in the Spanish capital. “When you arrive at Real Madrid, you don’t need to be a coach,” he explained. “You need to manage the egos in the dressing room.”

The players Alonso has encountered in west London boast nowhere near the same glittering résumés as Real Madrid’s roster. The issue Chelsea have clearly identified this summer is a lack of seniority rather than respect, which helps explain why the club have deliberately targeted veteran figures such as Danny Welbeck and Jordan Henderson.

“You need the right balance of personalities, of maturity stages, [players in their] early twenties, early thirties and in between, players in different stages of their careers,” Alonso explained. “There is not a formula for that, but there is a feeling for it.”

The 44-year-old has taken his spell between jobs “mainly to reset the energy.” “You need to be full of energy to pull from the rest,” he outlined. “It is very important to transmit this passion, this enthusiasm for the game in every training session, every game plan. I used that time mainly for that. I didn’t watch much...[soccer]. It was mainly about myself, about feeling it.”

“Luckily there are not too many scars in my career,” the former Liverpool and Bayern Munich midfielder acknowledged. “So, O.K., I got a scar, but this heals. Now it is healed, and I am very motivated and determined to enjoy this next step as I did when I started in Madrid.”

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Grey Whitebloom
GREY WHITEBLOOM

Grey Whitebloom is an Associate Editor for SI FC. He has more than half a decade of experience in sports media across all its various guises, from the fast-paced demands of news articles and match reports to in-depth research required for features. Whitebloom graduated with a First Class Honours from University College London and found himself named on the Dean’s List—which, despite his initial fears, was a form of praise rather than a punishment. He specialises in the Premier League and Champions League, while also boasting an extensive track record of La Liga coverage.

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