In breaking news, Real Madrid has announced that they are parting ways with coach Xabi Alonso. Minutes later, they announced that Alvaró Arbeola will succeed him.
The news comes only 8 months into Alonso’s tenure as Head Coach following Real Madrid’s 2-3 loss to rivals FC Barcelona in the Spanish Supercup last night.
Alonso’s time with Real Madrid has been rocky to say the least, with his leadership being brought into question at several moments over the course of the season.
While Xabi Alonso has won 24 out of his 34 matches, several notable losses left his position looking precarious. After an underwhelming stint away during which Real Madrid suffered 3 draws against Rayo Vallecano, Elche and Girona, and a pivotal loss to Liverpool, Alonso came under heat, with many media reports stating that the recent performances pointed to a problem of leadership.
Those results were compounded by a shocking 0-2 loss to Celta Vigo in the team’s first game back at the Bernabeu after their time away. The game showed a rattled Madrid side that completely failed to get their heads together, allowing Celta to take advantage of multiple fumbles and score 2 goals to win.
Many expected the club to cut their losses and fire Alonso then, but he managed to hold onto his position for another 7 matches. However, a loss to Man City in December and last night’s loss to Barça in Saudi Arabia seemed to be the final nail in the coffin for Alonso.
In today’s official statement, the club announced that the decision to part ways had been reached “by mutual decision” and that Alonso “had always represented the values of [the] club”. They went on to say that “[the] club thanks Xabi Alonso and his technical team for the work and dedication throughout this time”.
Several minutes after the initial announcement, a second press release declared that Alonso’s former Real Madrid teammate Alvaró Arbeola will take over as the club’s new Head Coach.
As the communiqué explains, Arbeola has spent his entire coaching career with Real Madrid, carrying both Infantil A and Juvenil to league victories. He took over as Castilla coach in June last year. His experience with the club certainly makes him a logical choice to take over from Alonso, but given the precarious situation amongst the Men’s team, it will be interesting to see how he fares over the remainder of the season.
