Real Madrid vs Barcelona is always a massive tie – but Sunday’s meeting was especially big for Xabi Alonso.
Last month’s 5-2 defeat by Atletico Madrid saw sharp criticism focus on the manager. It was a hugely embarrassing loss, and entirely derailed the positive mood around his start at the Bernabeu.
It also gave new life to concerns about the team’s ability to compete in big games, concerns that first surfaced following the 4-0 defeat by Paris Saint-Germain at the Club World Cup.
Even though they had won every other game this season apart from that Atleti fixture, Alonso and his staff felt another slip-up would raise the stakes.
They had the impression that if they did not deliver good results in a key run of games against Juventus, Barcelona and Liverpool, they would be shown a yellow card by the club.
They beat Juve 1-0 last Wednesday, and Sunday’s 2-1 victory over Barca means Madrid now lead the defending champions by five points in LaLiga. They travel to Liverpool in the Champions League on Tuesday having won three from three in the competition.
The Clasico victory, above all, was a hugely important one for Alonso and his new coaching team, as it takes some of the pressure off from above – at a club where expectations are always sky high, no matter what.
But it also represented a big win on another front: the relationship with his players.
In recent weeks, tensions between Alonso and some of the Madrid squad have been growing – with several first-team players unhappy with his management and the way he has imposed several important changes since arriving in the summer. The situation goes far deeper than Vinicius Junior’s outburst over being substituted against Barca.
Here, The Athletic explains what is going on, in an article informed by many conversations with sources close to the first team, the coaching staff and the Madrid hierarchy, each speaking anonymously to protect relationships.
When Alonso arrived as Real Madrid manager in June, he found a dressing room accustomed to things that he did not believe were best for a football team, following four years under Carlo Ancelotti. Sources close to Alonso’s staff said “many bad habits” had taken hold.
One of the first messages to his Madrid players was that, with him, everyone would have to run harder and work harder when the opposition was in possession, and, without that, no-one would be guaranteed a place.
Alonso’s first matches in charge were at the Club World Cup, which for Madrid ended in that 4-0 defeat by PSG in the semi-finals on July 9. The team then had a break until August 4, when they reported back for pre-season training. An important meeting was held when the team re-grouped.
Alonso in Real Madrid training in July
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Alonso spoke with senior players, including the team’s captains, to establish a new set of rules that would govern the dressing room. Once the main aspects were agreed collectively, they were communicated to the entire team. Among other things, the rules stressed the importance of punctuality (so far, there have been no fines for being late), as well as intensity and dedication in training.
“Xabi has tried to guarantee more discipline and order in the day-to-day, with control of schedules, more work in the gym at the prevention level, and group and individual video sessions,” added a source involved in the day-to-day at Madrid’s training ground.
The changes have not been welcomed by everyone. Multiple sources close to first-team players told The Athletic that a feeling of frustration has taken hold in the Madrid dressing room, with many senior figures feeling disrespected and dissatisfied.
Several such sources said players were upset to find they now had little freedom to express their qualities on the pitch, contrasting Alonso’s more demanding and rigid approach to the team’s style with how things were under Ancelotti.
“Some of them have won so much without doing these things that when these have been imposed on them, they have complained,” one of the sources said. “It’s no secret, some cases have been public. It’s normal, especially with those who were untouchable.”
Another person close to a first-team player said Madrid had “gone from having a coach who was hardly involved in training sessions to one who seems like just another player”.
And further sources consulted for this article said the players’ impression of Alonso was that he was distant and unapproachable – again contrasting with Ancelotti, who was very popular with the group.
“He thinks he’s Pep Guardiola, but for now he’s just Xabi,” said an individual close to a senior Madrid player. That comparison with Manchester City’s manager was made by several others, too – both positively and negatively.
Vinicius Jr stormed off after being replaced on Sunday
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This sense of distance, compared to Ancelotti’s time in charge, has also been reflected in the number of specialists who work with the team in training. Another of the new measures adopted by Alonso means only staff members truly essential to sessions are allowed to be present.
The same applies to access to the dressing room during matches. Alonso has cut down the number of people around the group before games and at half-time, so that there is a greater sense of privacy and concentration. After the final whistle, though, the doors are open to every member of staff.
Meanwhile, members of players’ entourages have seen access to areas of the training ground restricted, whereas previously it was common for family members, agents, and even friends to be present there.
Alonso and his staff have asked for confidentiality. For the dressing room to be a safe place where nothing is leaked to the media.
A clear example of this is with the line-ups. In recent seasons, it had been common for Madrid’s starting XI to be leaked by the press in advance. This forced the club to regularly announce their team more than two hours before games.
Alonso tested the team on this in his first line-up. Before the Club World Cup opener against Al Hilal, he told them the XI in advance, trusting them about leaks. The test was failed, because it became known that Gonzalo Garcia would start.
Now, that no longer happens.
Sources close to the coaching staff stress that they have had to make several changes to the setup at Madrid because they did not believe conditions were right for success. Alonso’s staff, including assistant coach Sebastian Parrilla, physical trainer Ismael Camenforte, and analysts Alberto Encinas and Benat Labaien, are highly rated by the club.
Camenforte’s methodology, with a past at Barcelona, has also been a shock for the specialists already at Madrid and now adapting to new ideas.
The coaching staff has always asked for time. They are aware that they are immersed in a process that requires patience for the team to function as they have planned.
Alonso, Parrilla and Encinas at the Club World Cup
Credit: Richard Sellers/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images
While they are still aiming to reach that point, their lead in LaLiga and their good run in the Champions League strengthens their hand – even more so now after Sunday’s win over Barca.
There are also other more microscopic successes for them to celebrate – and not every member of the team has been upset by this summer of transition. Alonso’s tactical flexibility and rotations to keep everyone involved are among the characteristics most praised by other sources close to the team.
His commitment to young players, in contrast to Ancelotti, is also much commented on – in reference to new signings Dean Huijsen (20), Alvaro Carreras (22) and Franco Mastantuono (18). Other merits include the confidence and step forward shown by Arda Guler (20), who is now a regular starter, and the brilliant form of Kylian Mbappe, whose debut season had caused some internal concern but this term has 18 goal contributions in 13 games.
If results and performances continue to improve, the impression we have of Alonso as a Madrid manager suggests he will care little if there are moments of disharmony within the group along the way.
But he will be more than aware that at the Bernabeu there is always pressure, and as the season progresses, his relationship with the players will continue to provide a fascinating sub-plot to that.
Additional reporting: Guillermo Rai.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
