Real Madrid sources clarify Xabi Alonso’s future after Man City defeat

December 12, 2025 Oliver Obel

Real Madrid head coach Xabi Alonso faces what may be the most delicate moment of his young tenure, with the club attempting to project calm even as doubts continue to circulate around the team’s direction.

The 44-year-old arrived in the summer with a strong reputation after transforming Bayer Leverkusen, but the early months at the Bernabéu have been far less comfortable.

Slow start shifts the mood

When Alonso stepped in to replace Carlo Ancelotti, the expectation inside the club was for a smooth handover. Instead, Real have stumbled through a stretch of uneven form. Just two wins in their last seven matches have unsettled supporters and placed an unexpected strain on a manager brought in to modernize the squad’s style.

The tension sharpened after Tuesday’s Champions League meeting with Manchester City a 2–1 defeat in which Madrid took the lead through Rodrygo before conceding to Nico O’Reilly and Erling Haaland. Some Spanish outlets quickly suggested that another misstep might cost Alonso his position.

But Sky Sports Germany reported that the club has decided to keep him in charge for now, confirming he will oversee Sunday’s league match against Alavés.

Madrid urge patience for the moment

A stumble this weekend could deepen Madrid’s problems, potentially putting them seven points behind Barcelona before the season’s first international break. Still, the board is not signalling alarm. Guillermo Rai of The Athletic wrote on X that senior club figures are “not expressing concern” in the aftermath of the City loss.

That stance contrasts with early-week speculation in Spain, where outlets including Marca and AS suggested the club would consider dismissing Alonso if Madrid fell short in Europe. Zinedine Zidane and Jürgen Klopp two names frequently floated whenever a vacancy looms were mentioned again as hypothetical options.

For now, those discussions appear to have quieted. Madrid’s performance against City, while not enough to secure a result, seems to have earned Alonso at least a temporary reprieve.

Dressing-room friction adds to pressure

Results are not the only issue. Reports from Spanish media, including Cadena SER, have described early signs of tension between Alonso and several senior players, among them Vinicius Jr. The club has not commented publicly on these claims, but the chatter contributes to a sense of unease that has been hard to ignore.

Madrid should be strong favourites against Alavés, and yet the game carries an edge it wouldn’t normally have. The squad’s body language in recent weeks a mix of frustration, impatience, and inconsistency has fuelled the impression that something isn’t quite in sync.

A defining period ahead

Club president Florentino Pérez has rarely hesitated when he feels a season slipping off course. Alonso isn’t at that point yet, but the margin for error is shrinking. Two defeats in eight outings may not be catastrophic, but at Real Madrid the standards are different, and the surrounding noise grows louder with each setback.

The next few matches won’t just shape Madrid’s domestic position they may also determine how long Alonso’s project is given to take root.

Sources: Sky Sports Germany, The Athletic, Marca, AS, Cadena SER.