Xavi Alonso's Sacking Reveals Real Madrid's Player-Driven Hierarchy Conflict - Episode Hero Image

Xavi Alonso's Sacking Reveals Real Madrid's Player-Driven Hierarchy Conflict

The Athletic FC Podcast · · Listen to Original Episode →
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TL;DR

  • Real Madrid's sacking of Xavi Alonso highlights a systemic conflict between tactical coaches and player-driven hierarchies, where individual player influence often overrides structured game plans.
  • Carlo Ancelotti's success at Real Madrid demonstrates that managing superstar egos and adapting to player input is paramount, a skill often lacking in more rigid, modern tactical coaches.
  • Xavi Alonso's departure underscores that a coach's ability to manage people and foster relationships with senior players is as critical as tactical acumen, especially at elite clubs.
  • The managerial market is experiencing significant flux, with Xavi Alonso's availability potentially disrupting summer plans for clubs like Manchester United and Liverpool, forcing rapid strategic reassessments.
  • Manchester United's repeated reliance on former players for coaching roles indicates a struggle to define a modern identity, potentially hindering adaptation to contemporary football tactics and management styles.
  • A coach's reputation may not be solely defined by success at a "super club" like Real Madrid, but future employers will scrutinize their ability to learn and adapt from such experiences.
  • The managerial merry-go-round suggests a growing scarcity of patient clubs willing to invest in long-term projects, prioritizing immediate results over sustained development and tactical evolution.

Deep Dive

Real Madrid's decision to sack Xavi Alonso, despite his promising start, signals a fundamental incompatibility between his methodical coaching philosophy and the club's ingrained player-driven hierarchy. This departure underscores a recurring tension at elite clubs: the clash between structured tactical approaches and the autonomy of established superstars, with significant implications for Alonso's future career trajectory and the broader managerial market.

The core of Alonso's struggles at Real Madrid stemmed from a philosophical divide. Unlike managers who adapt to their star players, Alonso's approach emphasizes detailed tactical implementation and player adherence to specific roles. This methodical style, successful at Bayer Leverkusen, clashed with Real Madrid's tradition of player empowerment, where senior figures like Toni Kroos and Dani Carvajal have historically influenced tactics and team talks. This dynamic meant Alonso, described as an intense "football guy" focused on tactical detail, found neither the boardroom nor the dressing room receptive to his methods. Florentino Perez, the club president, is depicted as less interested in granular tactical discussions, while star players like Vinicius Jr. and Jude Bellingham reportedly resisted extensive video analysis and strict positional instructions. This created a situation where even statistically comparable results to other managers were insufficient, as the underlying tension between Alonso's philosophy and the club's operational norms was unsustainable. The situation highlights a critical trade-off: while structured coaching can build long-term tactical coherence, it risks alienating established power centers within a club that prioritizes individual brilliance and player agency.

Alonso's exit has immediate ripple effects on the managerial market, particularly for clubs seeking to emulate Liverpool's successful, albeit lengthy, managerial appointment process. While Liverpool currently back Arne Slot, the availability of a highly-rated coach like Alonso will inevitably fuel speculation, especially given his legendary status at the club. This situation presents a dilemma for clubs like Manchester United, who may be tempted to deviate from their summer plans to secure a coach of Alonso's caliber sooner. However, Alonso's preference for a project and potential need for time with his family in Madrid suggest he may not be an immediate solution for clubs requiring quick fixes. Furthermore, this event demonstrates that even a highly successful tenure at a smaller club does not guarantee success at a Real Madrid-level institution, forcing coaches to prove their adaptability in managing superstar egos and navigating complex club politics. The implications are that coaches must not only possess tactical acumen but also the humility and interpersonal skills to manage powerful individuals, a lesson that Alonso may carry into his next role, and that clubs seeking stability must reconcile their desired coaching philosophy with their existing club culture to avoid repeating such mismatches.

The appointment of Alvaro Arbeloa as interim coach further illustrates Real Madrid's preference for "club men" who align with Florentino Perez's vision, emphasizing loyalty and a "Madridista" identity over potentially disruptive tactical innovation. Arbeloa, known for his staunch support of the club and its leadership, embodies the "circle the wagons" mentality that Perez favors. While his coaching experience at the youth level is noted, his ability to manage a dressing room of superstars remains untested, mirroring the unpredictable outcomes seen with previous interim appointments like Santiago Solari. This decision, while seemingly reactive, reinforces Real Madrid's distinct approach to coaching appointments, where alignment with the club's established power structures and public image often outweighs a purely meritocratic assessment of tactical innovation or long-term project building. It suggests that Real Madrid's unique operational model, driven by its iconic players and president, will continue to prioritize a certain type of managerial figure, one who can navigate and complement, rather than fundamentally alter, the club's established dynamics.

Action Items

  • Audit Real Madrid's coaching structure: Analyze player influence on tactical decisions and identify systemic vulnerabilities to prevent future managerial instability.
  • Create a manager evaluation framework: Define criteria for assessing tactical acumen versus player management skills to inform future hiring decisions.
  • Develop a succession planning model: Map potential coaching candidates based on adaptability to club culture and player dynamics, not just past performance.
  • Measure manager adaptability: Track instances where coaches compromised tactical vision for player preferences across 3-5 recent managerial tenures.

Related Episodes

Key Quotes

"This is Real Madrid, and the coaches don't rule the hierarchy. The only, well, Florentino Perez essentially at the top of the tree, and of course the players do. I was at a dinner after the Real Madrid-Arsenal Champions League game in the knockout stages last season, and we were talking about this very subject: how do you replace Carlo Ancelotti? Because he was perfect for that group. If you hear or speak to people who are privy to these sorts of things, stories about Toni Kroos giving team talks and Dani Carvajal arranging the tactics with Kroos for the Champions League final against Borussia Dortmund at Wembley, and that wasn't a one-off occurrence."

Corrigan explains that at Real Madrid, the coach is not the ultimate authority, with the club president and star players holding significant power. This dynamic suggests that a coach's ability to implement their own tactical vision is often secondary to the influence of established figures within the club. The anecdote about Kroos and Carvajal planning tactics for a Champions League final highlights the extent to which players can be involved in decision-making.

"We were chatting over this dinner, how on earth a coach like Alonso is going to come in and succeed implementing discipline from a tactical and behavioral perspective. This is maybe always going to be the not necessarily the Galactico show, but a team that is run by individuals and off-the-cuff quality as opposed to necessarily adhering to plans and structure. That's exactly what Alonso brings with him when he comes from Bayer Leverkusen and his coaching background. It's all methodical. He's one of the leading up-and-coming coaches in world football, and it was all going to be well mapped out from his perspective, and he's going to need control over that group. That's exactly what you don't get at somewhere like Real Madrid."

Horncastle elaborates on the inherent conflict between Xavi Alonso's methodical coaching style and Real Madrid's player-driven environment. He suggests that Alonso's background, emphasizing detailed planning and structure, is fundamentally at odds with the club's tradition of relying on individual brilliance and less rigid adherence to tactical blueprints. This mismatch implies that Alonso's success was always going to be challenged by the club's established operational norms.

"I mean, to elaborate on what David's saying about Carlo Ancelotti, I think one of Carlo's skills is that he would come in, he would have a certain idea of how he wanted the team to play, but he would empower the players. He would take input from them. I think when he first got the job in his first spell, he wanted to play 4-4-2. The players had played 4-3-3. He went to the players with that, and they decided to play 4-3-3, and Carlo made it work. I mean, Carlo at halftime, whilst as David says, he's smoking a cigar, he will have his own ideas, but then he will go to the likes of Toni Kroos, Dani Carvajal, say, I think this was the case in the Champions League final against Dortmund at Wembley, "What do we need here, boys?" And they were like, "We think we need an extra man in midfield." And he was like, "Alright, well, we'll do that then."

Horncastle highlights Carlo Ancelotti's managerial strength at Real Madrid as his ability to collaborate with and empower senior players. He illustrates this by recounting how Ancelotti adapted his preferred formation based on player input, demonstrating a flexible approach that prioritizes player buy-in and collective decision-making. This contrasts with a more rigid, top-down coaching style, suggesting Ancelotti's success was built on managing the personalities and insights of the squad.

"So you could say that this was an accident waiting to happen. We were already hearing rumblings, and they're increasing in volume now, that there was some dissatisfaction around his arrival. He wanted to start after the Club World Cup. They told him he had to start before. Players at Real Madrid were coming to an end, leaving or exhausted, looking forward to their summer holidays. He then gets going, and even though, as you point out, it's an okay position to be in, it's not okay from Real Madrid's perspective to have bad relations between say the coach and the star player in Vinnie Jr. And cracks were clearly emerging, and that might have been from his perspective as well. Maybe he realized that this was something that was almost like a poisoned chalice."

Corrigan suggests that Xavi Alonso's tenure at Real Madrid was doomed from the start due to underlying issues and a clash of expectations. He points to early disagreements, such as the timing of his coaching start, and the emergence of friction between Alonso and key players like Vinicius Jr. Corrigan implies that Alonso may have recognized the difficult circumstances, viewing the role as a "poisoned chalice" due to the inherent challenges of managing star players and navigating club politics.

"I think Real Madrid is one of those clubs, a little bit like Chelsea was, Chelsea still is, but there was a time with Abramovich at the helm where you just felt that it didn't necessarily damage someone going to Chelsea, getting fired. It was just seen as par for the course. All, you know, kind of political careers ending in failure, all coaching careers kind of end at Chelsea very quickly, regardless of whether you're successful or not. So I think still people will judge him on his work at Leverkusen. That said, he will have to show learning from this Real Madrid experience, particularly when it comes to learning how to manage people, manage those superstars."

Horncastle posits that being sacked by Real Madrid, similar to Chelsea's past managerial turnover, might not significantly damage a coach's long-term reputation. He argues that such dismissals are often viewed as a consequence of the club's environment rather than a reflection of the coach's overall ability. However, Horncastle emphasizes that Alonso will need to demonstrate that he has learned from the experience, especially regarding managing high-profile players, to succeed in future roles.

"So you then recruit to that style, which you can contest over whether Manchester United recruited for Amorim having just recruited for Ten Hag, but then they pushed back against Amorim's wishes in the case of the goalkeeper with Martinez and Lamons, and it becomes disjointed. They need to at some point almost like wipe the slate and make those decisions upfront and then yeah, give it proper time and patience behind a coach, even if it may get worse before it gets better. And that's why I say easier said than done because there's a pressure of trying to deliver it at the same time."

Corrigan criticizes Manchester United's recruitment strategy, suggesting it has led to disjointed team building by not consistently adhering to a defined playing style. He argues that the club needs to establish a clear vision and recruit players and coaches who align with it, providing them with sufficient time and patience to implement their ideas

Resources

External Resources

Books

  • "The Athletic FC Podcast" by The Athletic - Mentioned as a source for football analysis and discussion.

Articles & Papers

  • "Why have Real Madrid sacked Xabi Alonso?" (The Athletic FC Podcast) - Discussed as the primary topic of the episode, analyzing the reasons behind Xabi Alonso's dismissal from Real Madrid.

People

  • Xabi Alonso - Former Real Madrid coach, subject of discussion regarding his dismissal and future.
  • Carlo Ancelotti - Mentioned as a successful Real Madrid coach known for his ability to manage players and the club hierarchy.
  • Florentino Perez - President of Real Madrid, discussed in relation to his decision-making regarding coaches.
  • Vinicius Jr. - Real Madrid player, mentioned in relation to a past bust-up with Xabi Alonso.
  • Toni Kroos - Real Madrid player, mentioned in relation to team talks and tactical arrangements.
  • Dani Carvajal - Real Madrid player, mentioned in relation to tactical arrangements with Toni Kroos.
  • Zinedine Zidane - Former Real Madrid coach, mentioned as an example of a successful appointment from within.
  • Roberto Baggio - Player mentioned in relation to Carlo Ancelotti's early coaching career.
  • Alvaro Arbeloa - Former Real Madrid defender, appointed as head coach after Xabi Alonso's dismissal.
  • Jose Mourinho - Former Real Madrid coach, mentioned in relation to Alvaro Arbeloa's time as a player.
  • Iker Casillas - Former Real Madrid player, mentioned in relation to a past feud with Jose Mourinho.
  • Benitez - Former Real Madrid coach, mentioned in relation to a Copa del Rey disqualification.
  • Cristiano Ronaldo - Former Real Madrid player, mentioned in relation to a past incident involving pushing a referee.
  • Hansi Flick - Mentioned for having similar statistics to Xabi Alonso after 34 games.
  • Bellingham - Real Madrid player, mentioned in relation to tactical discussions.
  • Mbappé - Player mentioned in relation to tactical discussions.
  • Trent Alexander Arnold - Player mentioned in relation to tactical discussions.
  • Arne Slot - Liverpool coach, mentioned in relation to speculation about Xabi Alonso potentially replacing him.
  • Thomas Tuchel - Former Chelsea and PSG coach, mentioned in relation to his desire for a project and Arsenal's past approach to managerial appointments.
  • Julian Nagelsmann - Coach whose contract is expiring, mentioned in the context of managerial market changes.
  • Maurizio Pochettino - Coach whose contract is expiring, mentioned in the context of managerial market changes.
  • Erik ten Hag - Manchester United coach, discussed in relation to the club's past managerial appointments.
  • Ole Gunnar Solskjaer - Former Manchester United coach, discussed in relation to interim appointments and his past performance.
  • Michael Carrick - Appointed as interim coach for Manchester United.
  • Steve Holland - Gareth Southgate's assistant, mentioned as part of Michael Carrick's coaching staff.
  • Jonathan Woodgate - Mentioned in relation to Michael Carrick's past connections.
  • Darren Fletcher - Mentioned in relation to Manchester United coaching staff changes.
  • Ruud van Nistelrooy - Mentioned in relation to Manchester United coaching staff.
  • David Moyes - Former Manchester United coach, discussed in relation to the club's past managerial appointments.
  • Louis van Gaal - Former Manchester United coach, discussed in relation to the club's past managerial appointments.
  • Jose Mourinho - Former Manchester United coach, discussed in relation to the club's past managerial appointments.
  • Ruben Amorim - Mentioned as a potential candidate for Manchester United.
  • Arsene Wenger - Former Arsenal coach, discussed in relation to the club's identity and managerial patience.
  • Unai Emery - Aston Villa coach, mentioned in relation to his liking for Tammy Abraham.
  • Tammy Abraham - Roma player, discussed in relation to potential transfers and his past performance.
  • Ibrahima Konaté - Liverpool player, mentioned in relation to contract expiring.
  • Virgil van Dijk - Liverpool player, mentioned in relation to contract expiring.
  • Joe Gomez - Liverpool player, mentioned in relation to contract expiring.
  • Lallana - Liverpool player, mentioned in relation to returning from injury.
  • Marc Guéhi - Crystal Palace player, mentioned as a potential Liverpool target.
  • Mo Salah - Liverpool player, discussed in relation to his future at the club.
  • Federico Chiesa - Liverpool player, discussed in relation to his future and potential interest from Juventus.
  • Luis Diaz - Bayern Munich player, mentioned in relation to Liverpool's forward line.
  • Iwak Akinwunmi - Host of The Athletic FC Podcast.
  • James Horncastle - Guest on The Athletic FC Podcast.
  • David Ornstein - Guest on The Athletic FC Podcast.
  • Dermot Corrigan - Guest on The Athletic FC Podcast.

Organizations & Institutions

  • Real Madrid - Football club, subject of discussion regarding managerial changes.
  • Atletico Madrid - Football club, mentioned in relation to a past match and player interest.
  • Barcelona - Football club, mentioned in relation to a past match.
  • Borussia Dortmund - Football club, mentioned in relation to a past Champions League final.
  • Bayer Leverkusen - Football club, mentioned as Xabi Alonso's previous team.
  • Manchester United - Football club, discussed extensively regarding managerial appointments and club identity.
  • Tottenham - Football club, mentioned in relation to transfer interest.
  • Aston Villa - Football club, mentioned in relation to transfer interest.
  • Liverpool - Football club, discussed in relation to managerial speculation and player transfers.
  • Chelsea - Football club, mentioned in relation to managerial changes and hiring/firing practices.
  • Arsenal - Football club, discussed in relation to managerial patience and identity.
  • Juventus - Football club, mentioned in relation to interest in Federico Chiesa.
  • Bayern Munich - Football club, mentioned in relation to Luis Diaz.
  • Crystal Palace - Football club, mentioned in relation to Marc Guéhi.
  • Roma - Football club, mentioned in relation to Tammy Abraham.
  • Besiktas - Football club, mentioned in relation to Tammy Abraham's loan.
  • The Athletic - Media company, producer of the podcast.
  • The Athletic FC Podcast - Podcast, the primary source of the discussion.
  • Renaissance Fairs - Mentioned as a place where Discover is accepted.
  • National Football League (NFL) - Mentioned in the context of sports analytics.
  • New England Patriots - Mentioned as an example team for performance analysis.
  • Pro Football Focus (PFF) - Data source for player grading.

Websites & Online Resources

  • Experian - Financial service, mentioned for subscription cancellation and bill reduction.
  • eBay - Online marketplace, mentioned for secure car purchases and general shopping.
  • Monday.com - Project management platform, mentioned for its AI sidekick.
  • The Athletic - Mentioned as a source for football content.
  • joinbuilt.com/acast - Website for Built, a loyalty program for renters.
  • stamps.com - Service for printing postage, mentioned for small businesses.
  • granger.com - Supplier for industrial and safety products, mentioned for reordering.

Other Resources

  • Secure Purchase on eBay - Feature mentioned for verified sellers and titles when buying cars online.
  • Monday's Sidekick AI - AI tool mentioned for project management tasks.
  • Galactico show - Concept related to Real Madrid's team dynamic.
  • PSR regulations - Financial regulations mentioned in relation to Aston Villa's transfer approach.
  • "The United Way" - Concept related to Manchester United's club identity and playing style.
  • 4-4-2 formation - Tactical formation mentioned in football discussions.
  • 4-3-3 formation - Tactical formation mentioned in football discussions.
  • Europa Youth League - Competition mentioned in relation to Alvaro Arbeloa's coaching.
  • Copa del Rey - Competition mentioned in relation to Real Madrid.
  • Premier League - Football league, discussed in relation to managerial changes and player transfers.
  • Champions League - Football competition, mentioned in relation to Real Madrid and potential qualification.
  • Europa League - Football competition, mentioned in relation to Roma and Tammy Abraham.
  • FA Cup - Football competition, mentioned in relation to Manchester United.
  • Conference League - Football competition, mentioned in relation to Jose Mourinho.
  • Ballon d'Or - Award mentioned in relation to player recognition.
  • Afcon - Football tournament, mentioned in relation to Mo Salah.
  • Puzzles - Mentioned as a type of game.
  • Loyalty program for renters - Concept discussed in relation to Built.
  • Mortgage payments - Mentioned in relation to Built.
  • Flights - Mentioned as a redemption option for Built points.
  • Hotels - Mentioned as a redemption option for Built points.
  • Lift rides - Mentioned as a redemption option for Built points.
  • Amazon.com purchases - Mentioned as a redemption option for Built points.
  • Cut-resistant gloves - Product mentioned in relation to Granger.
  • Auto reordering - Service mentioned in relation to Granger.
  • On-time restocks - Service mentioned in relation to Granger.
  • Shipping - Service mentioned in relation to Stamps.com.
  • Billing - Service mentioned in relation to Stamps.com.
  • Admin - Service mentioned in relation to Stamps.com.
  • Payroll - Service mentioned in relation to Stamps.com.
  • Marketing - Service mentioned in relation to Stamps.com.
  • Print postage on demand - Service mentioned in relation to Stamps.com.
  • Schedule pickups - Service mentioned in relation to Stamps.com.
  • Automated rate shopping - Service mentioned in relation to Stamps.com.
  • Hologram trading card - Item mentioned as being available on eBay.
  • Designer handbag - Item mentioned as being available on eBay.
  • Windshield wipers - Car part mentioned as being available on eBay.
  • Car parts - Mentioned as being available on eBay.
  • Puzzle game - Type of game mentioned.
  • Royal Kingdom - Mobile game mentioned.
  • Offline gaming - Feature of Royal Kingdom.
  • No ads - Feature of Royal Kingdom.
  • Amazing graphics - Feature of Royal Kingdom.
  • AI platform - Mentioned in relation to Service Now.
  • Service Now AI Platform - Platform mentioned for unifying business processes.
  • AI agents - Mentioned in relation to Service Now.
  • Worklife - Ted's podcast.
  • Winter Olympics - Event mentioned as a potential future podcast topic.
  • Giggly Squad - Mentioned by Paige.
  • Renaissance fairs - Mentioned as a place where Discover is accepted.

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