Spanish La Liga giants, Real Madrid are weighing up a sensational move to bring Zinedine Zidane back to the dugout as pressure mounts on Xabi Alonso.
Senior figures at the club are growing concerned over the team’s form, with Wednesday’s Champions League tie against Manchester City viewed as decisive for Alonso’s future.
Madrid’s 2-0 defeat at home to Celta Vigo on Sunday appears to have shaken confidence in the current project. The loss, Madrid’s first against Celta at the Bernabeu in over two decades, left supporters stunned and widened the gap to Barcelona to four points in La Liga.
Williot Swedberg scored twice for the visitors, while Madrid finished with nine players after Fran Garcia and Alvaro Carreras were sent off.
Reports in Spain suggest tensions in the dressing room have made the situation even more delicate. According to a Spanish radio outlet, Cadena Ser, Alonso did not address his players after the match and left without entering the locker room, raising fresh questions over communication with the squad.
Journalist Anton Meana told the station that internal relationships have reached a breaking point. “What Carlo Ancelotti said last season is being repeated: this team is told one thing during the week, and then they don’t do it on the weekend. They have a coaching problem. They can’t seem to find the right formula. Furthermore, there might be a dressing room problem,” he said.
Spanish outlet El Mundo claims Zidane and Jürgen Klopp are the leading names being considered if Madrid decides to act. Club sources reportedly regard the City clash as Alonso’s final opportunity to steady the season.
Despite the growing speculation, Alonso publicly backed himself to turn results around. “I’m not thinking about that. I’m thinking about the next game against Manchester City. We all have to stay united, all together. I feel perfectly capable of turning things around; La Liga is still a long way off. We can do it,” he said after the Celta loss.
Alonso has won 15 of his 21 matches since replacing Ancelotti, though recent results have cast doubt on whether he can maintain harmony in a dressing room full of elite talent.
