Xavi Alonso has returned to Real Madrid as one of the most respected young coaches in world football, but six months into the job he already faces an uncertain future. The failure of his old mentor Guardiola deepened the crisis.

Real Madrid’s performance in the 2-1 loss to Manchester City was not a team that has given up on its coach. They fought until the end, but it wasn’t enough. Two consecutive defeats at the Bernabeu and only two wins in eight games have left Alonso in a precarious position.

There have been reports that Alonso could be sacked if he is beaten at the Bernabeu, but the reaction from his players and the Spanish media suggests he’s not going anywhere yet. But time appears to be running out for the Real Madrid legend to turn things around.

Jude Bellingham is convinced the players are “100 per cent” behind Alonso. “The manager is great,” the England star told TNT Sports. “I have a great relationship with him personally and I know a lot of the boys do too.

“We had some great conversations internally after that draw and felt like we had put that state of affairs behind us heading into the last few games. No one downed tools, no one complained or complained. We took it in stride and kept fighting.

“No matter what happens outside, we’re still trying to figure it out in the dressing room. We know it doesn’t help. One thing is how we manage the game. There are places where we have to live with it and it feels like we always give in and that puts us at a disadvantage and makes us have to play in a way that we don’t want to.

“But in the dressing room we have everything we need to turn things around, we may need a little bit of luck or maybe we need to discuss something internally. I believe the season will not end just because we are not in good form.”

Real Madrid’s season has not been a failure. La Liga leaders Barcelona are just four points clear after 16 games, while Real Madrid remain in the top eight of the Champions League table despite losing to Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City.

Alonso has made an impressive start to the season, winning 15 of his first 16 games, including a 2-1 El Clasico victory over Barcelona in October.

However, the team is currently in the midst of an alarming decline. The loss to Liverpool brings three defeats in these eight games. Although the score was only 1-0, when Alonso returned to Anfield, Real Madrid was already behind.

Since then, Real have narrowly beaten Olympiacos, won comfortably at Athletic Club, drawn with Elche, Rayo Vallecano and Girona, and now lost at home to Celta Vigo and Manchester City.

The weekend’s defeat puts a damper on the team’s performance, but for Real Madrid president Florentino Perez, the result is more important than anything else. Alonso knows this clearly from his time at the club as a player.

“It was a very intense performance, very professional,” he said after the defeat to Manchester City.

“We knew it was a Champions League-level game and they tried their best. From my side, there are no complaints. It was difficult to accept defeat, but we worked hard until the end.”

The idea of ​​achieving success at Leverkusen has not been easy for Alonso, who won the domestic double as he remains unbeaten in 2023/24.

His ideas are more in line with those of his former Bayern boss Pep Guardiola than his former Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti, who along with Zidane mastered the art of managing a Galactico ego at the Bernabeu.

Alonso is a manager in the modern sense who wants all players to contribute offensively and defensively. However, this was not the formula that brought success to Real Madrid, and there were early problems.

Vinicius Júnior’s angry reaction when he was substituted in October’s win over Barcelona was a sign of these problems, which Spanish media have suggested have not gone away.

As a player, Alonso knows what it takes to succeed at Real Madrid, but as a coach, the jury is still out. His quality is unquestionable, the only concern is his suitability.