Xabi Alonso is coming under increasing pressure at Real Madrid after a shock home defeat to Celta Vigo at the weekend.
Los Blancos sit four points behind Barcelona in the title race, and the club’s notoriously ruthless board are questioning the team’s recent performances.
Spanish publication Marca suggest a poor result in the Champions League against Manchester City on Wednesday could be a final nail in the coffin for the Spaniard.
Names of Alonso’s replacements have already been touted, with former boss Zinedine Zidane the current favourite.
The speculation of Alonso’s future could also play out a new narrative at former club Liverpool, with Arne Slot edging closer to the sack following a dramatic weekend.
Xabi Alonso under pressure at Real Madrid
Alonso has only been in charge at the Bernabeu since the summer, but he’s already facing serious scrutiny.
Celta Vigo’s famous victory against Real Madrid was their first in the last 19 attempts, and the result was plastered across the front pages of the Spanish sports newspapers on Monday morning.
AS had the headline “The Day of the Beast” while Sport ran with “Desquiciados”, translating to “Insane.”
In Marca, they add that club President Florentino Perez held a meeting which lasted until the early hours of the morning.
Real Madrid’s current form, in which they have won three from their last seven, was the main topic of the agenda, which resulted in discussions over Alonso’s immediate future.
The issues run a little deeper than just their current form. There’s an apparent disharmony in the dressing room, which has been fuelled by Vinicius Jr’s angry reaction to being substituted in the El Clásico recently.
The report goes as far as to say that club legend Zidane would be a prime candidate, while Jurgen Klopp and Unai Emery’s names would be thrown into the mix.
Xabi Alonso to Liverpool?
It feels as though the stars could be aligning for Alonso to make a sensational return to Anfield if Liverpool decides to axe Slot.
The Anfield hierarchy will certainly be watching closely to see how events unfold, particularly given the previous interest in their former midfielder.
Alonso was linked to Liverpool after Klopp departed following his success at Bayer Leverkusen, but he wanted to remain with the German club for one more year.
In 2018, he revealed it was “his dream” to manage Liverpool one day.
Alonso said: “Yes for sure, I have dreamt of that, but first I have to prove myself and prepare.
“If I decide somewhere along the way to take my chances as a manager, my link, my commitment, my passion with Liverpool is there.
“Why not? We will see if we can cross paths in our ways.”
It’s not totally far-fetched to suggest that the dream could soon become a reality.
